mutations

Cultural  

1. Changes in chromosomes or genes that cause offspring to have characteristics different from those of their parents. Mutations can be caused by the effects of chemicals, radiation, or even ordinary heat on DNA. Mutations produce some of the differences between members of a species on which natural selection acts.

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Example Sentences

By analyzing around 25,000 sequences from people with schizophrenia and 100,000 from control subjects, the team identified 10 genes where mutations significantly increase the risk of developing the disorder.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

The report also identified "multiple potentially significant" mutations that may alter the bacterium's behaviour.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Small mutations can have a big impact on the behaviour of the bacterium.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

“Once AI can analyze your DNA, identify your mutations and generate molecules to target them, the medicine stops being a one-size-fits-all proposition. It becomes custom software for your body.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

Not even twenty minutes had passed after we’d scarfed down the entire plate of cookies, when Tamika’s gut interrupted my explanation of mutations in DNA over thousands of generations to create a new species.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas