Question at position 4 For all living organisms (excluding Viruses) changes to ________________ are mutations.DNA, RNA, and ProteinsRNADNA and ProteinsDNAProteins

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Question at position 4 For all living organisms (excluding Viruses) changes to ________________ are mutations.DNA, RNA, and ProteinsRNADNA and ProteinsDNAProteins

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The core idea here is to identify what constitutes a mutation in all living organisms, excluding viruses. 
Option 1: 'DNA, RNA, and Proteins' would imply that mutations occur in all three as the genetic material or targets, but that is not accurate for cellular life where the genome is not universally RNA or protein in form. In many organisms, DNA is the genetic material, so mutational changes are changes to DNA rather than to RNA or proteins. 
Option 2: 'RNA' suggests RNA is the genome in all living organisms, which is false for the vast majority of life that uses DNA as its genetic material; thus this is not universally correct. 
Option 3: 'DNA and Proteins' implies that both DNA and proteins are sites of mutation. While DNA mutations are heritable changes to the genome, mutations in proteins are not themselves heritable genetic changes; proteins can be altered post-translationally but that is not a mutation of the genome. Therefore this option misstates what mutations are. 
Option 4: 'DNA' accurately reflects that, for organisms with DNA genomes, mutations are changes in the hereditary material, i.e., the DNA sequence. It aligns with the standard definition of a genetic mutation in cellular life. 
Option 5: 'Proteins' would mean mutations occur in proteins, but proteins are the products of gene expression, not the hereditary material itself; changes in proteins are typically not inherited as mutations in the genome. Thus this option is incorrect. 
In summary, only the statement identifying DNA as the site of mutations correctly captures the concept for living organisms (excluding viruses), while the other options mischaracterize where genetic variation that constitutes a mutation resides.

Question at position 4 For all living organisms (excluding Viruses) changes to ________________ are mutations.DNA, RNA, and ProteinsRNADNA and ProteinsDNAProteins

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