Students will mutate DNA and observe the effects on the resulting polypeptide chain. Students should be able
to identify silent, missense, nonsense, and frameshift mutations.
Real world application
An organism's genetic material (DNA) is used to create proteins vital for life. Genetic diseases are caused
by mutations in DNA that change these proteins. However, not all mutations cause disease. Depending on the
location and type of mutation, mutations can be beneficial, harmful, or neutral.