What are insertion or deletion mutations?

A mutation is when something changes, and insertion or deletion mutations are like adding or removing pieces from a puzzle.

Imagine you're building a tower with blocks. Each block has a letter on it, and together they spell out a word. That’s like how our body uses DNA to make proteins. Now, if you accidentally drop an extra block in the middle of your tower, that's like an insertion mutation! It changes the message, just like adding a new letter changes the word.

On the other hand, if you knock one block out of the tower, that’s a deletion mutation. You’re taking away part of the message, and now the word is different too.

Think about reading a storybook. If someone adds an extra sentence in the middle, it might make you laugh or confuse you, just like how an insertion mutation can change what our body does.

But if a page gets ripped out, and part of the story is missing, that's like a deletion mutation, and the story doesn't quite make sense anymore. A mutation is when something changes, and insertion or deletion mutations are like adding or removing pieces from a puzzle.

Imagine you're building a tower with blocks. Each block has a letter on it, and together they spell out a word. That’s like how our body uses DNA to make proteins. Now, if you accidentally drop an extra block in the middle of your tower, that's like an insertion mutation! It changes the message, just like adding a new letter changes the word.

On the other hand, if you knock one block out of the tower, that’s a deletion mutation. You’re taking away part of the message, and now the word is different too.