Of course this is just another Creationist lie. A simple examination of: R Durrett, R Durrett, "Probability models for DNA sequence evolution" and the references therein refute the claim entirely.
Continual posting of false claims by Creationists shows that they are not to be trusted.
RussP wrote:
The evolutioninsts base their theory on probabilities, yet they do no probabilistic calculation whatsoever.
Doctor Stochastic Replied:
Of course this is just another Creationist lie. A simple examination of: R Durrett, R Durrett, "Probability models for DNA sequence evolution" and the references therein refute the claim entirely.
RussP replies:
To be technically correct, perhaps I should have qualified my claim by saying that I have not come across any probability calculations in my reading on evolution, which includes admittedly only two or three pro-evolution books on the subject, including "The Blind Watchmaker."
I am not a biologist, so I obviously don't have time to read all the literature out there in that field (I barely have time to scratch the surface in my own field of aerospace engineering). However, I assumed, perhaps naively, that Dawkins would cover the major points, which did not include any probabilities. If I need to read some obscure biological journal to get the basics of evolution, then I'd say your side isn't doing a very good job.
Having said all that, let me ask you a question. Of all mutations that occur, roughly what percentage do you think are harmful, and what percentage do you think are helpful to the organism? And do those percentages vary by species, etc.? I think this is a key point, and I would really like to know the answer. Thanks.