Parental DNA involves 2 parents, there is genetic information from one parent that might not be expressed in the offspring. A departure seems rather hard to define and things thought of as a departure, in reality may not be. Multiple genes can determine a single trait, we have a lot to learn about the interplay of genetic info. Genes can also be latent just unexpressed, so a seeming departure might be contained in parental DNA. Birth defects are very much contained in parental DNA, environmental influence may also come into play. I would argue bio-diversity is ingrained in DNA, it strengthens a species.
If a parent has blue eyes and the offspring has brown, is that a mutation? I apologize for the over simplification. The genetic code is a long way form being figured out, it has only been crudely mapped. I believe any variation from parental DNA is by definition a
"mutation", whether good or bad.
On 12/11/10, erikhansen@thebluezone.net <erikhansen@thebluezone.net> wrote:
I would argue not all variation would be described as a "mutation".
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