After a strain of bacterial cells is exposed to a chemical mutagen, only 30% of the cells produce new colonies that continue to grow. Which of the following can be concluded?
A. Some cells underwent advantageous mutations.
B. Some cells underwent neutral mutations.
C. Some cells underwent lethal mutations. ****
D. Some cells underwent deleterious mutations.
My choice is C..?
please...even a good guess??
Please??
Zat ish correct
Correct! The conclusion that can be drawn from the given information is that some cells underwent lethal mutations. This can be determined based on the fact that only 30% of the cells produced new colonies that continue to grow. This indicates that the remaining 70% of cells didn't survive or were unable to form viable colonies, suggesting that they underwent lethal mutations. Therefore, option C is the correct choice.
In general, when interpreting data or drawing conclusions from experimental results, it is important to analyze the available information and consider all possible explanations. In this case, by observing the decreased colony formation, we can infer that the mutagenic treatment had an adverse effect on most of the cells, leading to lethal mutations. Other possible conclusions, like advantageous mutations (option A), neutral mutations (option B), or deleterious mutations (option D), are not supported by the given data.