THE HEALTHCARE TIMES

  🧬 Mutation: The Engine of Evolution and Disease - Mutations are the fundamental drivers of biological diversity and the raw material for evolution. At the same time, they can be the culprits behind devastating diseases. This duality makes mutations a central topic in genetics, molecular biology, medicine, and evolutionary science. In this comprehensive blog post, we’ll dive deep into what mutations are, their types, causes, consequences, and their crucial roles in health, evolution, and biotechnology. 📖 What Is a Mutation? A mutation is a change in the DNA sequence of an organism. DNA, the molecule that encodes genetic information, consists of nucleotide bases: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G). Even a small alteration in this sequence can lead to profound biological changes. Mutations can: ·          Be beneficial, neutral, or harmful. ·          Oc...

  Introduction - Genetics is the branch of biology that studies genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms. At its core lies the understanding of how traits are transmitted from parents to offspring, how genetic information is encoded, expressed, and regulated, and how genetic diversity arises across populations and species. From the discovery of DNA’s double helix to the latest CRISPR genome-editing tools, genetics has revolutionized medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, and our very perception of life. 1. Historical Milestones Pre-Mendelian Observations (Ancient–17th Century): Early breeders of plants and animals noted that offspring often resembled their parents, yet patterns were not formally studied. Gregor Mendel (1822–1884): In 1865, Mendel published his experiments on pea plants, revealing particulate inheritance and formulating the laws of segregation and independent assortment. Mendel’s work went largely un...