Noted science historian Elof Carlson traces how the idea of mutation has changed in 6 generations
Wednesday, June 8, 2011 - 12:30
in Biology & Nature
Today, most scientists use the term "mutation" to describe a change in an individual gene -- more precisely a minute alteration of its DNA. But the term has also achieved a powerful presence in popular culture, to describe a process by which individuals gain exceptional, often malign, characteristics.