Mutation, an alteration in the genetic material (the genome) of a cell of a living organism or of a virus that is more or less permanent and that can be transmitted to the cell’s or the virus’s descendants. The genomes of organisms are all composed of DNA, whereas viral genomes can be of DNA or RNA.
Mutations are only passed on to offspring when they occur in germ cell DNA, which are the cells that create sperm or ova. ... The mutation will be inherited only if it occurred on a chromosome in either the sperm cell or the ova cell out of many that eventually unite to form a zygote.
They are present in all body cells and can be passed down to new generations. Acquired mutations occur during an individual's life. If an acquired mutation occurs in an egg or sperm cell, it can be passed down to the individual's offspring. Once an acquired mutation is passed down, it is a hereditary mutation
