Campbell Biology (10th Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0321775651
ISBN 13: 978-0-32177-565-8

Chapter 16 - Test Your Understanding - Level 3 - Synthesis/Evaluation - Page 332: 12

Answer

The structure of DNA allows for it to be faithfully and simply copied, with repair also possible if needed, and it is deceptively simple in its structure. However, this allows it to carry an enormous amount of information, including enough to produced the structure of tens of thousands of proteins with their complex shapes and functions. At the same time, errors can occur for a variety of reasons, and, while most are deleterious, some are beneficial, chosen by natural selection to improve the adaptation of organisms.

Work Step by Step

Review the information in this chapter as well as from previous chapters where evolution was discussed. See that the copying of DNA is very faithful, but not perfectly so, and that this has benefits both in the faithfuil copying and in the occasional error.
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