mutation — a change in the body's
DNA. DNA is a long
macromolecule, made up of
nucleotides, joined together in a long
chain. The specific sequence
of nucleotides makes up a code that gives your body instructions on what it will be like: tall
or short, male or female, curly or straight hair, etc. Sometimes when the body copies its DNA
molecules, the sequence is not copied exactly right. This is what we call mutation. Mutations
may be good or bad. They might make your offspring stronger or smarter, but they can also make
them weaker or not so smart. Mutations can make people more resistant to diseases like cancer,
but they can also make people more likely to get cancer.
Mutations can be caused by lots of things, including radiation and certain compounds that
interfere with the copying of DNA. These compounds are called mutagens.