Study challenges evolutionary theory that DNA mutations are random

[Hugh_Lebowski]

2. Personally I've long wondered if the creature's environment can actually affect mutations

I.E. that some creatures can micro-evolve in a somewhat purposeful way (not saying 'consciously', that's a big stretch) depending on conditions where they live, constraints on resources, prevalence/types of predation in the area, etc.

I ponder whether it can happen during the development/gestation of the offspring potentially, or some semblance of a 'choice' happening in terms of which eggs (or similar concept for plants) are available and/or favored for fertilization under certain environmental constraints or conditions.

For the present case in the article, it kinda just makes sense that the most mission-critical (respiration being an obvious example) functions are also the sturdiest in terms of resisting mutation (potentially into forms that are unworkable), if for no other reason than because this will be the most ancient 'system' in the genome, evolution-wise.

But that leads me to wonder ... could the types of mutations that are 'likely to happen' in a given genome ... actually be encoded in the genome itself?