IANMO(IAMNTMYOWN)
New Member
I found this article from AIG under the question "Are there beneficial mutations?"
It is true that there are people who have mutations with beneficial outcomes. For example, individuals with the CCR5 mutation who are exposed to HIV are not likely to develop an infection and subsequently AIDS. Individuals who develop cancer but have certain mutations can be effectively treated with a certain class of cancer drugs. However, there may be currently unknown detrimental effects from these mutations as well.
For example, studies have shown that people with the CCR5 mutation may be at a higher risk of developing West Nile Virus illness and hepatitis C. In addition, the detrimental effects may not be detrimental enough to affect the overall fitness of the individual, and thus, the ability of the individuals to survive in most environments does not differ from those without the mutations. These mutations are not selected against by natural selection, and so, they remain in the population. In humans, determining the beneficial or detrimental outcomes of mutations is many times difficult to assess since the mutations do not result in a “live or die” situation as is often the case for bacteria (i.e. upon exposure to antibiotics).
Again, the mutations only improve a person’s chance for survival in a given environment (external or internal), such as if the person is exposed to HIV or cancer develops within a person’s body. It is possible that the mutations would not be beneficial in other environments (i.e. if the person is exposed to West Nile Virus).
Keep in mind that beneficial, information-gaining mutations are a necessary mechanism of molecules-to-man evolution, so focusing on any potential for this is essential for evolutionists. What doesn’t seem to be often addressed is the vast amount of data to the contrary. But even if there were a clearly beneficial mutation, this would by no means “prove” the mechanism for evolution (for one thing, beneficial, information-gaining mutations would have to be a regularly occurring phenomenon and would have to “build” on previous mutations so as not to be “undone” and to keep the evolution going “uphill”), nor negate the truth of God’s revelation of His Creation in Genesis.
It is true that there are people who have mutations with beneficial outcomes. For example, individuals with the CCR5 mutation who are exposed to HIV are not likely to develop an infection and subsequently AIDS. Individuals who develop cancer but have certain mutations can be effectively treated with a certain class of cancer drugs. However, there may be currently unknown detrimental effects from these mutations as well.
For example, studies have shown that people with the CCR5 mutation may be at a higher risk of developing West Nile Virus illness and hepatitis C. In addition, the detrimental effects may not be detrimental enough to affect the overall fitness of the individual, and thus, the ability of the individuals to survive in most environments does not differ from those without the mutations. These mutations are not selected against by natural selection, and so, they remain in the population. In humans, determining the beneficial or detrimental outcomes of mutations is many times difficult to assess since the mutations do not result in a “live or die” situation as is often the case for bacteria (i.e. upon exposure to antibiotics).
Again, the mutations only improve a person’s chance for survival in a given environment (external or internal), such as if the person is exposed to HIV or cancer develops within a person’s body. It is possible that the mutations would not be beneficial in other environments (i.e. if the person is exposed to West Nile Virus).
Keep in mind that beneficial, information-gaining mutations are a necessary mechanism of molecules-to-man evolution, so focusing on any potential for this is essential for evolutionists. What doesn’t seem to be often addressed is the vast amount of data to the contrary. But even if there were a clearly beneficial mutation, this would by no means “prove” the mechanism for evolution (for one thing, beneficial, information-gaining mutations would have to be a regularly occurring phenomenon and would have to “build” on previous mutations so as not to be “undone” and to keep the evolution going “uphill”), nor negate the truth of God’s revelation of His Creation in Genesis.