The Mutation Rate in Bacteria Is About 3 Nucleotide Changes

question 35

Multiple Choice

The mutation rate in bacteria is about 3 nucleotide changes per 10 billion nucleotides per cell generation. Under laboratory conditions, bacteria such as Escherichia coli can divide and double in number about every 40 minutes. If a single Escherichia coli cell is allowed to exponentially divide for 10 hours in this manner, how many mutations would you expect to observe on average in the genome (4.5 million nucleotide pairs) of each of the resulting bacteria compared to the original cell? Assume all mutations are neutral; that is, they do not affect the cell-division time.

• A) Less than 0.001
• B) About 0.02
• C) One or two
• D) About 10
• E) About 100

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Definitions:

Stereotypes

Stereotypes are oversimplified generalizations about groups of people that can lead to assumptions and biases.

Distinct Differences

Clear and noticeable variations or disparities between things or entities.

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A psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome.