Creationists are simply wrong when they claim that genetic mutations are never beneficial. Many such mutations have been observed that provide new enzymatic functions, protection against predators, and immunity against disease. Beneficial mutations are also much more commonplace than creationists make them out to be, with studies finding that 1 to 6% of mutations are advantageous. The statistics used by creationists to support an astronomically lower number come from deeply flawed analyses. Contrary to what they claim, beneficial mutations can and do increase overall fitness—in the wild and the laboratory—and such mutations accumulate over time via this little thing called "natural selection." Support my videos on Patreon!:
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References:
Barney Maddox article:
Campbell Biology example: p. 157, Campbell Biology, Ninth Edition. Jane B. Reece et al. 2011.
Talk Origins - examples of beneficial mutations:
Alex Williams article:
John C. Sanford quote: p. 26. Genetic Entropy & The Mystery Of The Genome, by John C. Sanford. 2005.
Adam Lee article -- Apo-AIM:
Sarah Williams on HIV immunity:
EvolutionNews article:
Sanjuán et al 2004: "The distribution of fitness effects caused by single-nucleotide substitutions in an RNA virus," by Rafael Sanjuán et al. PNAS. June 1, 2004, Vol 101, No 22. 8396–8401.
Joan Peris et al 2010:
Perfeito et al 2007: "Adaptive Mutations in Bacteria: High Rate and Small Effects," by Lília Perfeito et al. Science. 317, 813, 2007.
MacLean et al:
Anita Melnyk et al 2015:
Georgia Purdom article:
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