SLD

Mutations are most definitely not rare and the vast majority are in fact not harmful. We most likely have many mutations from our parents who in turn have many from their parents. In fact, the older your parents are when they had you, the more mutations you are likely to have.

Any simple biology textbook will tell you how ionizing radiation causes DNA mutations. And of course we are constantly being bombarded with ionizing radiation. Mutations in our gonads result in those mutations being passed on to our children. However, most mutations are neutral since in fact most DNA is non-coding.

Some are harmful. However, as the scientists on your friend page quoted, some are beneficial. Less than one in a thousand? Maybe, but there are billions of people being born every generation.

Tell him to quit quote mining and do some serious look at the issue. You will not understand evolutionary biology by reading quotes pasted on a website.

SLD

openeyes

After seeing about two thousand of my fellow Minnesotans lap up everything Kent Hovind said in a debate last week, I can sadly attest to the success of this method of argument.