- #1
cj20x2
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- TL;DR Summary
- A question about mutation build up in cells.
I'm hoping a mod can move this to the biology forum section, I keep trying to post in it, but every time I click on the biology forums I'm automatically logged out.
I've read about how sometimes the DNA polymerase inserts a wrong amino acid and ends up modifying the DNA rather than the RNA, which leads to a permanent mutation. I also read that DNA polymerase makes a mistake 1 for every 1 billion base pairs. If our DNA has over 3 billion base pairs, and we get millions of new cells a day, what stops these mutations from building up to a point where our body is no longer able to function.
What's to stop someone from spontaneously developing sickle cell anemia or some other genetic disease due to random mutation build up.
I've read about how sometimes the DNA polymerase inserts a wrong amino acid and ends up modifying the DNA rather than the RNA, which leads to a permanent mutation. I also read that DNA polymerase makes a mistake 1 for every 1 billion base pairs. If our DNA has over 3 billion base pairs, and we get millions of new cells a day, what stops these mutations from building up to a point where our body is no longer able to function.
What's to stop someone from spontaneously developing sickle cell anemia or some other genetic disease due to random mutation build up.