Re: Evolution!

Greg Billock (billgr@cco.caltech.edu)
Tue, 14 Jul 1998 10:03:35 -0700 (PDT)

Jim Hofmann:

> Regarding the debate about "beneficial mutations", I've had similar
> discussions with YEC's recently. They have insisted that what
> evolutionary theorists refer to as "mutations" are actually simply
> variations within the population that have always been present. Changing
> environments simply weed out competitors and thus change the gene
> frequencies in the population.

We should point out that this undoubtedly happens (perhaps much of the
time?), which is why evolution can go so blamed fast (killing critters
is a lot easier than breeding them) at times.

> It would help if someone gave an example of an observed point
> mutation that resulted in better adaptation of a population. This would
> require knowledge of the relevant sequence both before and after the
> mutation, and evidence of superior adaptive traits in the resulting
> organisms.

Some people are immune to AIDS. I'm not sure about the structure of
the genetic difference, though...

-Greg