large mutations
It is believed that large mutations form new genes. Mutations that duplicate large sections of DNA are a major source of genetic material for new genes. It is thought that tens to hundreds of genes are duplicated in animal genomes every million years. Most genes belong to larger families of genes of shared ancestry. These gene families have domains within the protein with a particular and independent function. These domains have corresponding conserved regions within their genes. It is through duplication mutations that such gene families formed. Genetic recombination after duplication of different domains forms new combinations of domains with new functions. For example, the human eye uses four genes to make structures that sense light: three for color vision and one for night vision; all four arose from a single ancestral gene.