A man is exposed to a high amount of ultraviolet light. The light causes DNA in the cells of his eyes to suffer many mutations. His doctor claims that the mutations will not be passed to any future offspring. Which statement BEST describes the doctor's claim?

Question

A.
The claim is incorrect because point mutations occur in the sex cells and are heritable.

B.
The claim is incorrect because germ-line mutations occur in the sex calls and are heritable.

C.
The claim is correct because somatic mutations occur outside of the sex cells and are not heritable.

D.
The claim is correct because DNA expression mutations occur outside of the sex cells and are not heritable.

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

C. The claim is correct because somatic mutations occur outside of the sex cells and are not heritable.

Somatic mutations are mutations that occur in non-germline cells (such as those in the eye) and do not get passed on to offspring, whereas germline mutations occur in the sex cells (sperm and eggs) and can be inherited. In this scenario, since the mutations are in the man's eyes and not in his germ cells, they will not affect his future offspring.