Question

any change in dna is referred to as a ____________; these changes are always ____________. changes in dna sequence a deleted b inserted c substituted dna sequence before mutation cell nucleus cleveland clinic ©2023

Explanation:

In biology (a subfield of Natural Science), a change in DNA is called a mutation. Mutations are not always harmful; they can be neutral, beneficial, or harmful, but a key point is that the statement "these changes are always..." – actually, mutations are not always negative (e.g., some can be beneficial for evolution). But the first blank is "mutation". The second part: mutations are not always harmful (or the common misconception is sometimes thought, but scientifically, mutations can have various effects, but the standard answer for the first blank is mutation, and for the second, a common fill (though nuanced) is "not harmful" (or more accurately, "not always harmful", but the diagram shows types of mutations, and the key term for DNA change is mutation.

Answer:

First blank: mutation; Second blank: not harmful (or "neutral, beneficial, or harmful" – but the standard first term is mutation. So filling: Any change in DNA is referred to as a \underline{mutation}; these changes are always \underline{not harmful} (or more accurately, mutations can have varied effects, but the key term for the first is mutation).