TABLE 5 – MUTATIONS, CREATION AND EVOLUTION
|
FACTS |
BIBLICAL CREATION |
NEO DARWINIST AND
DARWINIST EVOLUTION |
1 |
Origins: All facts stated in support creation by a Master Designer.
|
‘Creationists,
starting from the Bible, believe that God created different kinds of organisms, which reproduced “after their kinds” (Gen.
1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25). Thus, the biblical kinds would have originally been distinct biological species,
i.e., a population of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring but that cannot so breed with a different biological
species.’ [4] |
The General Theory of Evolution (GTE) says that, "all the living forms in the world have
arisen from a single source which itself came from an inorganic form.” - G.A. Kerkut, evolutionist. He continues to
state that “the evidence which supports this is not sufficiently strong to allow us to consider it as anything more than a working
hypothesis.” [5] “Every genetic feature in every organism was, initially, the result of mutation.” [6] |
2 |
“A
mutation is a change in the sequence of DNA” [7] “In biology, a mutation is the permanent alternation of the nucleotide sequence of the genome of an organism...”[8]
|
There needs to be a distinction made between mutation and designed variation. [9] |
|
3 |
The human genome: Almost every nucleotide (in the human genome) is associated with some sort of (biochemical) function. [10] Nucleotides are
the organic molecular units that form DNA, and RNA “both of which are essential biomolecules within all life-forms on Earth.” [11] Genome
is the genetic material of an organism.[12] The human genome sequence contains around 2.69 to 2.91 billion nucleotides of human euchromatin. [13] |
According
to Genesis 1:31, God made everything “very good.” His whole creation demonstrated His attributes of goodness, wisdom and power. There
is no reason to assume that God made the genomes for the various kinds of plants and animals anything less than perfect. |
“Traditionally,
biochemists thought a vast proportion of most organisms’ genomes consisted of DNA sequences that once had value but eventually decayed
into nonfunctional DNA elements.” These supposed nonfunctional DNA elements were considered “junk” and were supposedly
evidence of biological evolution. [14] |
4 |
Homologous
recombination and variation: “Homologous chromosomes are recombined from one generation to the next through a process called ‘crossing
over’... Thus, new traits... can arise through homologous recombination. But this is not mutation.” [15] “A gene is the
basic physical and functional unit of heredity.” [16] Also, known as a trait. “Each characteristic is influenced by at least
two genes. The genes of this gene pair are called alleles. One such gene is inherited from each of the parents.
Thus, the egg and sperm each have a single set of genes. When fertilization occurs, these two sets of genes combine. The
segregation and recombination of the genes which occur during production of the germ cells produce sperm and eggs with a tremendous
variety of different gene combinations. These sperm and egg cells in turn, via random mating, can be combined in a great variety
of ways. The result is the tremendous variability that we see within each species.” [17] “Most genes are the same in
all people, but a small number of genes (less than 1 percent of the total) are slightly different between people... These small differences
contribute to each person’s unique physical features.” [18] There are limits to variability within a kind that cannot be
overcome as animal breeders are well aware. |
“Recombination is part of the intelligently-designed genome and usually only
reveals information that was previously packed into the genome by the Master Designer (it can also reveal new combinations of mutations
and designed diversity).” [19] The Creator designed tremendous variation within a kind. This makes every or almost
every creature in a kind unique, except for identical twins, and also provides for adaptability to different environments. Variability
in appearance also allows for identification necessary for relationships. |
“Mutations are essential to evolution;
they are the raw material of genetic variation. Without mutation, evolution could not occur.” [20] “The ultimate
source of all genetic variation is mutation.” [21] |
5 |
Reproductive cells: “Our reproductive cells... are
just as prone to damage as our body cells.” [22] For a mutation to be passed on from one generation to the next, it must be in
the germ (reproductive) cells. |
|
|
6 |
Harmful versus beneficial mutations: “For any conceivable
favorable mutation, a species must pay the price or bear the burden of more than 1000 harmful mutations of the gene... As mutational
load increases with time, the survival of the species will be threatened as matings produce a greater percentage of offspring carrying
serious genetic defects.” [23] “To date over 10,000 specific disease-causing mutations of the human genome have been identified.
In contrast, only a handful of beneficial mutations have been discovered, none of which involve an increase in genetic information
as required by evolution.” [24] |
Due to man’s sin (Genesis 3), the perfect (very good) creation became corrupted producing
deleterious mutations that cause sickness, aging and death. |
At its core, Neo-Darwinism requires beneficial
information gaining mutations in the genome [25] to take place as organisms evolve towards perfection. |
7 |
Cancers: “DNA
copying errors are responsible for two-thirds of the mutations in human cancers!” [26] |
“These data not only
show the futility of invoking mutation as an engine of evolution, but also add support to the fact the human genome is degrading-devolving-not
evolving and improving over time” [27] |
Mutations are an engine of evolution headed to perfection. |
8 |
Source
of mutations: “Mutation is the purely physical result of the all-pervading mechanical damage that accompanies all molecular machinery.” [28] “A
mutagen is a physical or chemical substance that disrupts DNA, causing a permanent change in the nucleotide sequence. Ultraviolet
radiation is a common physical mutagen.” [29] |
|
|
9 |
DNA repair: “... DNA undergoes
up to a million damage and repair events per cell per day.” [30] “Due to the damaging effects that mutations can have on genes,
organisms have mechanisms such as DNA repair to prevent or correct mutations by reverting the mutated sequence back to its original
state.” [31] Note: Errors that have been corrected are not mutations. |
Mechanisms (e.g. mismatch repair and nucleotide
excision repair) to reverse the damaging effects of errors reflect the magnificent wisdom of the Master Designer. |
Evolutionists
acknowledge the importance of DNA repair but tend to ignore how such a complex necessary function requiring foresight could have arisen. |
10 |
Recessive genes: “Most mutations are recessive... the mutant can be carried, undetected by selection, in a person (or plant or animal) with a
dominant gene that masks the mutant’s effect.” [32] “In order for a mutation to be subject to natural selection, it must be expressed
in the phenotypes of individuals. [33] |
‘Most mutations “hide” as recessives, “invisible” to selection, and continue
to build up in secret at multiple loci, somewhat like a “genetic cancer” slowly but steadily eating away at genetic quality.’ [34] |
“Even
when mutations produce recessive alleles that are seldom expressed in phenotypes, they become part of a vast reservoir of hidden variability
that can show up in future generations.” [35] |
11 |
Most mutations damage function: “...most mutations which
cause changes in the amino acid sequence of proteins tend to damage function to a greater or lesser degree.” [36] |
|
|
11a |
Hemoglobin: Hemoglobin
has 40 plus variations that are less effective oxygen carriers than normal. [37] |
That fact that normal hemoglobin is the
most effective oxygen carrier points back to the corruption of creation by mutations. [38] |
|
11aa |
Sickle-cell
mutation: Some of the negatives and benefits of the sickle-cell mutation are as follows: Sickle-cell trait: (One sickle-cell gene and
one normal hemoglobin gene) Negatives: In athletes, it has the potential for microcirculatory disorders during exercise leading to death. [39] If
both biological parents have the sickle-cell trait, some of their children may have sickle-cell anemia. Benefits: Is only beneficial
in areas prone to malaria. “(P)rovides 60% protection against overall mortality. Most of this protection occurs between 2-16 months
of life, before the onset of clinical immunity in areas with intense transmission of malaria.” [40] Sickle-cell anemia: (Two sickle-cell
genes) Negatives: Increases risk of severe bacterial infections, stroke, silent stroke, gallstones, aseptic bone necrosis of the hip
and other major joints, decreased immune reactions, bacterial bone infection, acute papillary necrosis in the kidneys, leg ulcers,
retinal detachments, chronic pain, pulmonary hypertension, and chronic kidney failure. [41] People with “sickle cell anaemia
(SCA) are highly susceptible to the lethal effects of malaria.” [42] Benefits: None |
This mutation results from
a substitution that corrupts the hemoglobin gene. ‘(W)hen the frequency of the sickle-cell gene reaches 18 percent, natural selection
for it “stops.” That’s the point at which the death rates from sickle-cell anemia and malaria balance, demonstrating conclusively
that sickle-cell anemia is not a suitable model for the continuous genetic expansion that evolutionists seek.’ [43] |
The
sickle-cell mutation has been used by evolutionists to support the idea of a naturally selected beneficial mutation because those
with one sickle-cell gene are resistant to malaria. |
11b |
Hemophilia: “Haemophilia is a mostly inherited genetic disorder
that impairs the body’s ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding”... The two main types of haemophilia, A and
B, “are typically inherited from one’s parents through an X chromosome with a nonfunctional gene.” [44] |
The
blood coagulation cascade is very complex involving the production, prevention, localization and removal of clots. [45] All
this is irreducibly complex and needed from the beginning in the event of injury and points to intelligent design. |
|
11c |
Fruit
flies: Mutations in fruit flies are generally either neutral or harmful. Neutral examples:eye color, body color [46][47] Harmful examples: no
eyes, curly wings versus the ideal flat wings, wings too short to fly, antennas to become legs. [48][49] Beneficial examples: none In
research work that received a Nobel Prize in 1995, researchers painstakingly through “experiments proved that mutation of any these
core developmental genes – mutations that would be essential for the fruit fly to evolve into any other creature – merely resulted
in dead or deformed fruit flies. This therefore showed that fruit flies could not evolve.” [50] |
Fruit flies
are still fruit flies even with these mutations. |
Some evolutionists have claimed that fruit fly mutations support
macroevolution. Macroevolution generally refers to evolution advancing beyond the species level. “In fact, mutations are
the basis for evolution because beneficial mutations are passed along to offspring so they can be better suited to their environment.” [51] “Mutations
are neither good nor bad: some may be beneficial for an organism; others may be lethal. By creating new gene versions, mutations are
a driving force for changes in evolution, sometimes leading to new species.” [52] |
11d |
TRIM5-CypA protein: “The
TRIM5 gene encodes TRIM5alpha, a protein that blocks infection of the cell by retroviruses.” In certain species of monkeys, there
is a substitution that causes the TRIM5 gene to splice with a CypA pseudogene creating the novel TRIM5-CypA protein. [53] “(T)he
macaque TRIM5-CypA isoform does not result in increased restriction of HIV-1.” [54] |
TRIM5-CypA protein is part of an immune
system. The immune benefit of this gene splice and whether it resulted from a mutation, programed change or existed from
the beginning is uncertain. This substitution, no matter how it came to be, allows existing information to be spliced
together. Splicing existing information together is questionable as a gain in information. This may be illustrated by the
following example of combining two sentences into one: 1. My dog has fleas. 2. Fleas
are bad. My dog has fleas and fleas are bad. Here there is no gain in information. |
The TRIM5 mutation in certain
species of monkeys resulting in the TRIM5-CypA protein is an example of gain in information by a mutation. [55] |
11e |
CCR5-delta32
mutation: “(R)esults from deletion of a particular sequence of 32 base-pairs [56] Negatives: “(S)trongly associated
with a chronic and potentially life-threatening liver disease” and “higher risks of getting certain other viruses, such as West Nile,
and of dying from the flu.” [57] Benefits: “The virus HIV normally enters a cell via its CCR5 receptors… But in people with
receptors crippled by the CCR5-delta32 mutation, entry of HIV by this means is blocked, providing immunity to AIDS for homozygous
carriers and greatly slowing progress of the disease in heterozygous carriers.” [58] |
|
|
12 |
Lactase
persistence: “Lactase is the enzyme responsible for the digestion of milk sugar lactose and its production decreases after the weaning
phase in most mammals, including most humans. Some humans, however, continue to produce lactase throughout adulthood, a
trait known as lactase persistence.” Lactase persistence is caused by a single mutation in European populations and by several different
mutations in Africa and the Middle East. [59] |
‘(T)hese genetic changes ‘are not “evolution” in the uphill molecules-to-milkman
sense, as the changes are downhill, i.e., information has been lost (viz., the normal switching-off mechanism of lactase production
following weaning).’ Lactase persistence is an example of selection. “But natural selection is not evolution.” [60] Lactase
nonpersistent is genetically programmed. [61] |
Lactase persistence in certain populations has been claimed by
evolutionists as upward evolution in the ability for adults to digest milk. |
13 |
Antibiotic
resistance: “... bacteria were resistant to antibiotics, even before commercial
antibiotics were “invented.” [62] |
Drug resistance in bacteria “does demonstrate natural selection (or a
sort of artificial selection, in this case), but only among already existing variations within a kind.”’ [63] |
“When
penicillin was first introduced, Staphylococci infections were quickly defeated by small doses, but at some point in time the bacterial
DNA underwent a mutation that made a particular Staphylococcus resistant to penicillin.”[64] |
14 |
Light-colored and
dark colored Pepper Moths: See item 10 in Table 3 – Evolutionary Myths |
|
“It is believed that at some point a mutation
occurred that resulted in dark-colored pepper moths, and these had a survival advantage, because they blended in with the dark, soot
stained bark.” [65] |
15 |
New genes? |
‘Mutations, random changes in the genetic code, do produce “new genes” not present
at creation, but the so-called “new genes” are still found at the same locus, still pair the same way in meiosis, and are still turned
on and off by the same regulators, so they are really only genes of the same kind as the original, and represent only variation
within kind (usually harmful variation in the case of mutations).’ [66] |
Neo-Darwinists believe that new genes
with new functions can evolve through mutations. “Mutation is important as the first step of evolution because it creates a new
DNA sequence for a particular gene, creating a new allele.” [67] Allele is a variation of a particular gene. |
16 |
Duplication
of a single gene: “(T)he human genome probably contains between 30,000 and 40,000 genes...” and “many genes in the human genome are
duplicated, some more than once.” [68] “To maintain genomic stability, all cells have built-in mechanisms to silence duplicated
genes, after which they become subject to degenerative mutations.” [69] “Evolution by gene duplication predicts a proportional
increase in genome size with organism complexity but this is contradicted by the evidence. It is not genome size but intergenic
regulatory sequences and gene regulation hierarchies that determine complexity. Gene regulation networks are irreducibly complex and
constitute an insurmountable barrier for the theory.” [70] |
Gene duplication does not add new information not present
at creation. |
A serious problem to evolutionary theory is how much more complex multicellular organisms
evolved from one-celled organisms. One popular hypothesis among evolutionists is that this arose by some random mutations
creating duplicate copies of genes that then acquired novel functions through mutations. Of these novel genes, those that
survived natural selection increased the complexity of the organisms. “Spare copies of genes or inactive genes can mutate and
change their function over time thereby producing a new variation that natural selection can favor or reject. Large-scale evolutionary
changes in a species line generally occur in this way.” [71] |
17 |
Duplication of a chromosome: “(I)s normally harmful,
as in Down’s syndrome.” [72] Down syndrome “is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy
of chromosome 21.”[73] |
|
|
18 |
Substitutions, insertions and deletions: 1. Substitutions
– one nucleotide is replaced by another in a DNA strand. “Often caused by chemicals or malfunction of DNA replication.” [74] Some
substitutions are neutral in their effects. “Sickle cell anemia is caused by a substitution in the beta-hemoglobin gene, which alters
a single amino acid in the protein produced.” [75] 2. Insertions – one or more extra nucleotide(s)
is/are added to a DNA strand. [76] “(A) very efficient way of completely destroying the functionality of existing genes.” [77] 3. Deletions
– one or more nucleotide(s) is/are removed from a DNA strand. [78] “Both insertions and deletions are referred to as frameshift
mutations, because all the nucleotides downstream are grouped incorrectly.” [79] The most common cause of cystic fibrosis
is a deletion.[80] These errors are common. “There is a self-correcting mechanism in DNA replication that repairs
these small errors, but it does not always find every one of them.” [81] “(T)he repair mechanisms are not 100% perfect because
they suffer mechanical damage themselves.” [82] |
|
Although rare, some of these errors are beneficial advancing
evolution. |
19 |
Complexity of the human genome: “You’ve got to remember that these genomes make one
of the most complicated things we know, ourselves. The idea that the recipe book would be easy to understand is kind of hubris.”
– Dr. Ewan Birney [83] Hubris is insolent pride or presumption.[84] |
The complexity of the human genome shows
the creative genius of the Creator. |
|
________________________
[1] Wells, Jonathan, Icons of Evolution
Science or Myth? 1st ed. (Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2002), 5
[2] Neo-Darwinism, Collins Dictionary, https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/neo-darwinism
[3]
Johnson, Phillip, Darwin on Trial, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press. 1993), 168
[4] Sarfati, Jonathan, Ph.D. with Matthews,
Michael,Refuting Evolution 2, Chapter 4, https://creation.com/refuting-evolution-2-chapter-4-argument-natural-selection-leads-to-speciation
[5]
Kerkut, G.A., Implications of Evolution, (Oxford, UK: Pergamon, 1960), 157
[6] Carlin, Joel, Mutations are the Raw Materials
of Evolution, (Nature Education, 2011),
https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/mutations-are-the-raw-materials-of-evolution-17395346
[7]
Carter, Robert, PhD, Can mutations create new information?
http://creation.com/mutations-new-information
[8] Mutation, Wikipedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutation
[9] Carter, Ibid.
[10] Tomkins, Jeffrey, ENCODE Reveals Incredible Genome Complexity and
Function, Institute of Creation Research, 2012, http://www.icr.org/article/7064/
[11] Nucleotide, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucleotide
[12] Genome,
Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genome
[13] Wood, Todd, PhD, The Human Genome: A Creationist Overview, May 1, 2001, The
Institute for Creation Research, https://www.icr.org/article/human-genome-creationist-overview/
[14] Junk DNA: Evidence for Evolution
or Design? Creation Research Institute, April 13, 2018, https://www.equip.org/article/junk-dna-evidence-for-evolution-or-design/
[15]
Carter, Ibid.
[16] What is a gene? Genetics Home Reference, U.S. National Library of Medicine, https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/basics/gene
[17]
Gish, Duane, PhD, Evolution The Fossils Say No! public school edition, (San Diego: Creation Life Publishers, 1978), 43
[18] What
is a gene? Ibid.
[19] Carter, Ibid.
[20] Understanding Evolution Team, DNA and Mutations, https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/mutations_01
[21] Mutation -
American Phytopathological Society, https://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/advanced/topics/PopGenetics/Pages/mutation.aspx
[22] Williams,
Alex, Mutations: evolution’s engine becomes evolution’s end,
https://creation.com/mutations-are-evolutions-end
[23] Parker, Gary,
EdD, Creation, Mutation, and Variation, The Institute of Creation Research, November 1, 1980,Research, https://www.icr.org/article/creation-mutation-variation/
[24]
Lamb, Andrew, CCR5-delta32: a very beneficial mutation, and addendums, https://creation.com/ccr5delta32-a-very-beneficial-mutation
[25]
Bergman, Jerry, Darwinism and the Deterioration of the Genome, Christian Research Society, 2005, http://www.trueorigin.org/mutations01.asp
[26]
Tomkins, Jeffrey, PhD, New Study Confirms Harmful Role of Mutations, April 10, 2017, https://www.icr.org/article/new-study-confirms-harmful-role-mutations/
[27]
Ibid.
[28] Williams, Ibid.
[29] Mutation and DNA repair, Brilliant Math & Science, https://brilliant.org/wiki/mutation-and-dna-repair/
[30]
Williams, Ibid.
[31] Mutation, Wikipedia, Ibid.
[32] Parker, Gary, EdD, Creation, Mutation, and Variation, The Institute of
Creation Research, November 1, 1980,Research, https://www.icr.org/article/creation-mutation-variation/
[33] O’Neal, Dennis, Modern
Theories of Evolution: Mutation,
https://www2.palomar.edu/anthro/synthetic/synth_3.htm
[34] Parker, Gary, EdD, 2.5 Mutations, Yes;
Evolution, No, Answers in Genesis, March 28, 2016, https://answersingenesis.org/genetics/mutations/mutations-yes-evolution-no/
[35]
O’Neal, Ibid.
[36] Denton, Michael, Evolution: A Theory in Crisis (Maryland: Adler & Adler, Publishers, Inc.,1985), 322
[37]
Parker, Gary, EdD, Creation, Mutation, and Variation,
https://www.icr.org/article/creation-mutation-variation/
[38] Ibid.
[39] Sickle
cell trait, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sickle_cell_trait
[40] Protective Effect of Sickle Cell Trait Against Malaria,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/biology/#tabs-1-4
[41] Sickle cell disease, Wikipedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sickle_cell_disease
[42] Sickle Cell Anaemia and Malaria, Mediterranean Journal of Hematology and
Infectious Diseases, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3499995/
[43] Parker, Gary, EdD, 2.5 Mutations, Yes; Evolution,
No, Ibid.
Children are not identical to their parents. “No one doubts that descent with modification occurs in the course of normal biological reproduction. The question is whether descent with modification accounts for the origin of new species - in fact, of every species.” [1]
Neo-Darwinism “is a biological theory which maintains that natural selection is the main factor in the evolution of animals and plants and adjusts this concept to modern genetics.” [2]
By evolutionists, “the creative power of mutation and selection is never demonstrated
directly; rather, it is thought to exist by necessity, because of the absence of a more satisfactory alternative.” [3] The
alternative is special creation by God of each kind of animal and plant.