In real life, mutants can arise when their DNA changes to give them an advantage over the rest of the population. A team from the University of Michigan has used simulations on the Pittsburgh ...

The human genome, for example, contains over 3.1 billion ... the change in DNA sequence may even turn out to be beneficial to the organism. A mutation that occurs in body cells that are not ...

A single base change can create a devastating genetic disorder or a beneficial adaptation, or it might have no effect. How do mutations happen, and how do they influence the future of a species?

While polyploidy provides genetic redundancy by allowing mutations without affecting survival, it can also slow evolutionary progress by diluting beneficial mutations. This paradox has intrigued ...