Mutations can be grouped into two main categories based on where they occur: somatic mutations and germ-line mutations. Somatic mutations take place in non-reproductive cells. Many kinds of ...

Mutations that happen throughout a person’s life may contribute to disease more than we realized. In the summer of 2018, ...

A germ-line mutation looks like a red ball in a sea of white balls—difficult, but not impossible, to spot; a somatic mutation is gray, and more easily blends in. “In genetics, it can be hard ...