Audacious

When you think of the word "mutation" what comes to your mind?
Spiderman? The Hulk? A cow with two heads maybe?

Truth : genetic mutations exist all around us.

If everyone had exact copies of DNA from their parents, think of what life would come to! Everyone would look, act, and be the same. Thankfully, genetic variation exists, causing each and every organism to be completely different to one another.

Fundamentally, we are all genetic mutations, adapted to fit our environments. Research proves that all blue eyed people are related. One person was born freakishly with blue eyes, passed the gene down to his or her children and started a whole new generation of blue eyed mutants! That means that every single blue eyed person in this world is related to Brad Pitt.
Wow! That's a real eye opener. (No pun intended.) (Okay it was intended.)

Let's refer to some everyday mutants we all know and love; starting with Lance Armstrong.

We all recognize Lance Armstrong as the greatest cyclist in the entire world; professional athlete at 16 with Olympic competition as early as 18. Revered founder of Livestrong, and I don't know anyone who doesn't have the yellow wristband. What's his real training secret? An amazing coach and fans all contribute, but the real answer is this: Lance Armstrong's genetic make-up. He has a heart 1/3 larger than an average human, and muscle that naturally accumulates very small amounts of lactic acid. He also has monstrous lung capacity. Twice the size as a normal person! These factors contribute to Armstrong's awe-inspiring endurance level.

Just looking at him through your television, you wouldn't expect something as drastic as a genetic mutation (gasp), but why is it that we all cringe at the name? Mutations are something natural that we shouldn't discourage. People scoffing at the bearded lady from the 1930's freak show. Eyes glued to the screen while watching the odd appearances of people in remote areas of the jungle. In some cultures, genetic mutations are considered punishment for wrong-doings from past lives. This is all terrible and inconsiderate. People have no control over their DNA. You can't wake up one day and say, "Hey I want to grow a tail today," and then poof! You have a tail. No, that's not how it works. In contrast, some people recently have shown the more heroic side of genetic mutations, showcasing peoples' stories, tribulations, and how they have become to accept and deal with their conditions. The television show Extraordinary People is one attempt.

All genetic mutations don't have to be bad though! There are some people who, today, have developed a natural resistance to the disease HIV AIDS. They are helping people with the disease with absolutely no risk of catching the virus themselves. Most Europeans have immunity to certain plagues that have previously killed thousands in their home-countries. I'll bet hardly any of them know of this secret kudo-point of genetic advancement, but it's there; hidden among thousands of other DNA combinations.

Essentially, what I am aiming to communicate is that genetic mutations are more common than we all realize.
They may even be hidden among your own individual genotype!

Information Compiled From:

http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/does-michael-phelps-have-marfan.html
http://www.biography.com/articles/lance-armstrong-9188901
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5278028/GT1/3584/#storyContinued
http://www.sentientdevelopments.com/2008/08/michael-phelps-natural-transhuman.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/olympics/2008/08/can_anyone_spoil_phelps_pool_p.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Fitness-Cardio-Secret-That-Propels-Lance-Armstrong&id=53623
http://www.biology-online.org/2/13_genetic_engineering.htm
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080103-hobbit-disease.html