A groundbreaking study published in this week’s issue of PNAS by scientists from Israel and Ghana shows that an evolutionarily significant mutation in the human APOL1 gene arises not randomly but more ...

Somatic mutations (also known as acquired mutations) are emerging as common, age-related processes that occur in all cells throughout the body. Somatic mutations are canonically linked to malignant ...

All biological systems are to some extent evolvable. That is, they are capable of bringing forth variation that is both adaptive and heritable, and that enables them to respond to natural selection.

In simple terms: a mutation is a stable change in genetic sequence that can be copied when cells or viruses replicate. Most mutations have no detectable effect, some contribute to disease, and a small ...