DNA Replication Errors
Baseline operational variation is inevitable in any organization.
DNA polymerase (the enzyme copying DNA during cell division) makes mistakes at a baseline rate. In bacteria, it's approximately 10^-10 errors per base pair per generation. In eukaryotes, approximately 10^-9. This sounds negligible, but across billions of cells and billions of base pairs, it generates substantial variation. Proofreading mechanisms - exonuclease activity of DNA polymerase - correct most errors, but approximately 1 in 10^9 to 10^10 base pairs still mutates per cell division.
Business Application of DNA Replication Errors
Baseline operational variation is inevitable in any organization. The key is having 'proofreading' mechanisms (quality control, testing, validation) that catch most errors while allowing beneficial variations to emerge.