Unit 7: Effects of Electromagnetic Waves on the

Environment • Grade 10
Lesson 7.4: Mutation
Worksheet 3

Name: Luke Emanuel L. Amando Date:

Rating:
Grade and Section: 10- St. John

General Instructions: Answer the following in essay format. (5 points per item)

1. Is genetic mutation totally harmful to organisms?

Mutations can be harmful, neutral, or advantageous. The majority of

2.
mutations are point mutations, which alter the DNA sequence at a single point.
Mutations occur when the base sequence on the DNA strand changes. Most
mutations have no effect because they occur in introns, also known as "junk
DNA." However, some mutations occur on exons, and these are the ones that
can be potentially harmful to the organism, though in some exceptional cases
random mutations can be beneficial, and pressured mutations are almost always
beneficial to a species' survival. Harmful mutations can occur as a result of semi-
conservative replication errors or prolonged exposure to certain types of
radiation. Some exon mutations have no effect because they are "silent
mutations" in which the bases change but still code for the same amino acid. For
example, if GTC changes to GTT, there will be no noticeable difference because
both of these triplets code for the same thing, glutamine.

How does radiation cause mutation?

Radiation can transfer energy to molecules such as DNA, causing bonds to

break. In any case, when radiation interacts with molecules in the cell, it loses
energy. When radiation has enough energy to free an electron from an atom, it
can cause mutation. Then it is referred to as ionizing radiation. In contrast to
microwaves and light, which are both forms of radiation but have less energy.
Bonds can be broken when an electron is released from a molecule.  Radiation
can cause mutations in two different ways:
1. Direct effect : radiation breaks bonds in DNA, this breaks the strands and
mutation can occur when it is not properly repaired.
2. Indirect effect : radiation causes other molecules to lose an electron; these
molecules (reactive intermediates) can then interact with DNA to cause
mutation.