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Hehe, this is almost like a chat room! <shudder>

Is there anyplace I can read up on other beneficial mutations?

Let's see... Here's one relating to mosquitos, known to have occurred after 1984. Here are a few examples, including the bacteria that eat Nylon, something not found in nature. Here's an extended description of the evidence that the blood clotting mechanism in vertebrates evolved by several gene duplications & modifications from the common ancestor.

Some mutations are pretty obviously "beneficial" or "harmful", but the interesting thing is, beneficial is only meaningful in the context of the organism's environment. So there's no absolute measure of beneficial-ness, outside of actually putting the organisms into a specific environment.

Lurking ...

Thanks. I will take a look at this later. It's the wife's birthday so I can't spend the night with you. :-)

Some mutations are pretty obviously "beneficial" or "harmful", but the interesting thing is, beneficial is only meaningful in the context of the organism's environment. So there's no absolute measure of beneficial-ness, outside of actually putting the organisms into a specific environment.

Exactly. We don't have ways to measure fitness, especially not of single mutations. It's enough to show that enormous populations of healthy humans exist and they differ by 2%, 3%, and maybe more, in their genetic makeup. So there we have a ton of mutational differences which are not detrimental.

I've read the examples you gave me. Thanks. Now, help me understand why you're so adamant about evolution in regards to the examples listed.

How do you define evolution?

The blood clotting article was very interesting. Is blood clotting considered a mutation or do hemophiliacs just have a deleterious mutation?

From one of the links:

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria appears to be a beneficial mutation along with insects becoming resistant to pesticides.
Bacteria that eat short molecules (nylon oligomers). Is this considered a benefical mutation or a change?
Sickle cell resistance to malaria is not a beneficial mutation. According to the link "it provides a change", but "is an example where a mutation decreases the normal efficiency of the body".
Lactose intolerance. I have this "mutation" and don't consider it beneficial! Help me out here. Why is this considered beneficial?
Resistance to atherosclerosis. This looks like a beneficial mutation.
Immunity to HIV. I hope I have it.

The mosquito link was interesting and it looks beneficial.

I appreciate the info on mutations. Prior to your posts I had only heard of sickle cell resistance as a mutation and then it was not considered beneficial. As I pointed out, the link states this mutation is still not considered beneficial.

While I have no problem seeing some of the mutations as beneficial, I have yet to understand how the mutation supports evolution. I have no problem with a mutation supporting microevolution. But for me it stops there. Do you consider the mutations to support anything other than microevolution?