© Luca Galuzzi, via Wikimedia Commons
Accumulating Mutations
As I noted earlier, evolutionists argue that each protein comprising a flagellum resulted from the duplication of an existing gene which then continuously mutated until it stumbled upon a new flagellar function. However, research over the past several years has shown this claim to be implausible. Understanding why will require a few steps of analysis. To begin, experiments on such model proteins as β-lactamase and HisA demonstrate that their activity declines increasingly rapidly as mutations that change amino acids accumulate, and the mutations' deleterious effects also increase.
As a specific example, the Tokuriki and Tawfik study demonstrated the following effects of accumulating mutations:
- After only a few random mutations (1-2) under weak selection, around a third of subsequent changes to a protein completely disable it.
- After several more mutations accumulate (5-6), the protein is inactivated by slightly under two-thirds of subsequent changes.
- After random alteration of less than 10 percent of the protein's initial sequence, it becomes permanently nonfunctional (fitness approaches zero).
Comment: NASA has documented a sharp uptick in NEOs which potentially pose a threat to civilization, but more concerning are these that we have yet to detect. As noted in the article Earth enters densest stream of deadly Taurid meteor cluster this June: And if an asteroid the size of that in Tunguska struck over a major city it would cause mass mortality.
See also:
- NASA animation shows the dramatic increase in near-Earth asteroids entering solar system over last 20 years
- In the blink of an eye: Astronomers seek backup to capture strange stellar blackout with help of cell phone cameras
- Of Flash Frozen Mammoths and Cosmic Catastrophes
- Meteor fireball sighted in 5 countries in Europe, photographed by 3 sky cameras
And to hear what the historical records have to say on the matter, check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Who was Jesus? Examining the evidence that Christ may in fact have been Caesar!