Mutants live among us! Chances and risks of modified genotypes.

A mutation is the sudden and permanent modification of the genome of an organism. When a mutation occurs in a somatic cell it can be passed on to the daughter cell. If a mutant cell is a germ cell, the mutation can be inherited. 

Mutations can occur naturally, can be triggered by mutagen substances, or can be caused by radiation.

Of course, mutations can be negative but they can also be neutral, or even positive for an organism. First of all, we need to understand what mutants are all about.

Do you like milk and cheese? Hold on to your seat: you are a mutant!

In fact, mutations are pretty normal. One of the most widespread mutations is one that most of us are not aware of. As adults, we are not lactose-intolerant, but we should be, as living beings only naturally consume milk during infancy and early childhood.

It’s a mutation that allows us to consume milk products as adults. In Africa and Asia, this mutation is less widespread and therefore a large section of the population is lactose-intolerant. To us in the western world, our mutation has become the new normal.

The three-eyed fish in Springfield is fiction. Other negative mutations are very real.

But still, mutations have a bad reputation. When we think of modified genotypes, we think of the three-eyed fish living in the lake next to the atomic plant in Homer Simpson’s hometown Springfield.

Whereas this is pure fiction, there are in fact minor negative mutations in our daily lives. Albinism, to name one example, is the congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin. Another one is dyschromatopsia, better known as red-green colorblindness.

X-Men have turned mutations into superpowers. Is this pure fiction, only?

But what about good mutations? We have all seen some very cool ones in movies like the X-Men series and at some point, probably dreamt of becoming a mutant too. 

Luckily we can also find good mutations in the real world. We are able to breed plants to enable them to grow in unsuitable environments under bad conditions. And often, these mutants are even more fruitful. Another good example is a human mutation found by Italian researchers in Burkina Faso, West Africa: A protective effect associated with a different variant of hemoglobin reduced the risk of the population to suffer from malaria by 93 %.

Scientist mRNA superpowers against COVID-19 mutants.

Unfortunately, today we are more and more confronted with the mutation of viruses. They develop resistances against medication, adapt to their host and environment, or intersect with other pathogens. The influenza virus, for instance, mutates regularly and we need to modify our vaccines every year.

There were 150 proven cases of corona mutations in Germany by the end of January 2021. In London, as many as 60% of all the cases are caused by the new variant, and there are several different mutations that are spreading worldwide. Will the disease process get worse? Will the current vaccine lose its effect? COVID-19 mutants are causing a lot of fear right now. It seems like the word ‘mutant’ itself has become a threat for most of us.

The coronavirus does not act any different and therefore mutates in smart ways beneficial for its spread and lethality. One of the new variants, B117, is supposed to be a lot more contagious than the initial virus.

We believe in the superpowers of scientists fighting dangerous mutants. It is truly incredible what they can achieve and what they have achieved so far – which, once again, reminds us at Starlab why we are passionate for science.