Question

A mutation is made once in every _ nucleotides copied

Answer 1

Mutation is made once in every thousand nucleotides copied. 

Mutation creates different versions which have the same genes which are known as alleles.
They create variation in protein-coding. We put sunscreen to protect us from a mutation in somatic cells.

Answer 2

Answer: The correct answer for the fill in the blank is 10 billion nucleotides.

Mutation can be defined as the permanent change in the nucleotide sequence of the genome. It can be caused due to error in the DNA replication or a DNA damage, which can be caused by several reasons like exposure to radiations.

A mutation is made once in every 10 billion nucleotides copied.

This is because the overall error rate of the enzyme DNA polymerase is 10⁻¹⁰ per base pairs. This means that there is a chance of one mutation in every 10 billion nucleotides that are replicated.