Eli5: We have a dna correction system to avoid variations, but, sexual reproduction to promote variations. So, Are variations good?
In: Biology
DNA is copied for each cell division, trillions of which happen each day. Without regulation, the probability of having a deleterious mutation would be way too high.
Reproduction happens a couple times per generation so the rate of mutations happening is much lower.
Also, the variation during reproduction will produce diversity in phenotypes of the resulting individual (it’s good to have an individual that out competes others in a population) whereas variation during cell division will result in diversity of cells within a single individual (it’s bad to have cells that outcompete other cells within an individual).
Moreover, the two copies of genes from different parents are in theory from successful individuals whereas a random DNA mutation during cell division is not guaranteed to produce anything viable.
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