Question

Which claim accurately describes how inheritable genetic variations can arise from environmental factors?
Mutations from environmental factors, like radiation, can be inherited if they occur in germ cells.
• All environmental mutations are harmful and cannot be inherited.
• Environmental factors change physical traits, not genetics.
• Only mutations in somatic cells can be inherited.

Answer 1

"Mutations from environmental factors, like radiation, can be inherited if they occur in germ cells." — This is the accurate claim.

Brief explanation:
- Environmental mutagens (ionizing radiation, UV, certain chemicals) can damage DNA.
- If that damage causes a mutation in a germ cell (sperm or egg) or in an early embryonic cell, the altered DNA can be passed to offspring.
- Mutations confined to somatic cells affect only the individual and are not inherited.
- Not all environmental mutations are harmful (some are neutral or rarely beneficial), and some environment-driven changes (e.g., nutrition-driven traits) are not changes to DNA sequence; epigenetic changes can also occur and sometimes be partially inherited but are different from DNA-sequence mutations.