[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Would you care to explain what exactly is wrong with mutations?

Before you get too deep, consider that mutation is part of what drives evolution, and that without it Darwin's "endless forms most beautiful" would have stuck at their simple beginning.

Mutations aren't bad and are needed, as you mentioned. But the way evolution works is that there are a few small mutation every now and then - a slightly longer leg or a smaller tail - and if it works then the gene slowly spreads out, generation after generation. The key is that the speed at which mutations occur is as slow as changes in the environment.

With radiation, or some other form of pollution, suddenly the mutations in the species' genomes may effect a large percent of the population. Maybe these mutations give an edge to surviving, but more often they are either lethal or negatively influence reproduction.