The question about the fruit fly is a macro one. Is it possible to mutate a
fly past the point of being a fly?
The period of time is difficult to comprehend. Human intervention can make
changes much faster than the would happen in nature, the differnce between
a Great Dane and a Chihuahua shows that, as most breeds of dog have only
come into existance in the last few hundred years.
With the fruit fly, they aren't trying to stay within any bounds, they are
trying to make it evolve into something else, using every method know to
induce mutations. This means that in every generation many times the number
of mutations occur compared with in nature. So the chances of seeing a
positive mutation is drastically increased.
The other thing that might be interesting to note is that a lone mutation
may not be enough, for a mutation to not be lost, there may have be two of
the same mutation in two different animals, at the same time in the same
place, so that the new trait can be carried.
I confess that I can hardly get my mind around all this, so I may be way
off track.
Donald
At 06:04 AM 14/07/98 -0500, you wrote:
>At 11:07 PM 7/13/98 -0600, Bill Payne wrote:
>>But in the time allotted, we have _zero_ beneficial mutations. Faith is
>>the evidence of things not seen - you have your faith, we have ours.
>>:-)
>
>Bill, exactly why is antibiotic resistance not beneficial to a bacterium?
>
>Exactly why is a mutation in an Italian family that makes them immune to
>bad cholesterol not beneficial?
>
>Blond hair appears to give protection against frostbite. Exactly why is
>that mutation not beneficial in the northern part of Europe?
>
>Black skin appears to give some protection against ultraviolet rays and
>helps prevents melanoma. Exactly why is this not beneficial in the tropics?
>
>And the sickle cell gene gives some protection from malaria if it is
>heterozygous. Are you saying that it is better for more people to die from
>Malaria than for fewer people (the homozyous) to die from sickle cell
>anemia? If it saves lives in a malaria infested environment, exactly why is
>it not beneficial?
>glenn
>
>Adam, Apes and Anthropology
>Foundation, Fall and Flood
>& lots of creation/evolution information
>http://www.isource.net/~grmorton/dmd.htm
>
>
____________________________________________
Donald Howes
Acting Research Systems Co-ordinator
Research Services
University of New England
Ph 6773 3263
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the
salvation of everyone who believes" Romans 1:16
_____________________________________________