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by RaftPeople 688 days ago
An interesting fact that I wasn't aware of until I read it recently is that our genes constrain the chance of mutations in critical areas of the body, which shifts the landscape.
2 comments

Mutation resistance is itself the result of mutation (i.e. evolution), and isn't anything particularly special among humans. And it's not just critical areas; every cell in your body has enzymes that prevent mutation, both before and after a given replication.
> And it's not just critical areas

True, but the resistance to mutations is increased in critical areas compared to other areas. Not all changes are equally likely.

Yeah, that's interesting, I guess it's also a simplification to think of an organism as a single genome. The reality is much more complicated! (lichens come to mind as examples of even more genetic diversity housed in a single organism, or even gut bacteria in humans maybe?)