Answer:One important factor influencing observed mutation rates is the means by which mutations are detected, as some methods MAY DETECT a changes at only one or two base pairs of a specific gene, leaving others undetected. Obviously the mutation rate observed by such methods will be lower than if more altered BASES could be detected.Answer:One important factor influencing observed mutation rates is the means by which mutations are detected, as some methods may detect a changes at only one or two base pairs of a specific gene, leaving others undetected. Obviously the mutation rate observed by such methods will be lower than if more altered bases could be detected.Mutations can also change a mutated gene back to the normal, wild-type form of the gene. Such "back" mutations are typically much rarer than "forward" mutations. This is because the number of ways to inactivate a gene is much greater than the number of ways to FIX it. Imagine there are 1,000 bases that could be changed to produce a forward mutation. To reverse one of these mutations, it is necessary to change the one specific base pair that has mutated, and to change it back to the base it was before, RATHER than to a different one. Therefore, a back mutation rate of less than 1 one-thousandth of the forward rate would be expected