what is a mutation

A mutation is a change that occurs in our DNA sequence, either due to mistakes when the DNA is copied or as the result of environmental factors such as UV light and cigarette smoke. Mutations can occur in two ways: they can be inherited from a parent or acquired during a person's lifetime. Mutations can be beneficial, neutral, or harmful for the organism, but the mutations that are most important in terms of evolution are those that can be passed on to offspring. These mutations give rise to new genetic variations in a population, and over time, beneficial mutations can become more common within a population, giving rise to evolution.