Beneficial Mutations Made Simple

There are many, many such examples. One deals with Atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries, a major cause of heart problems and perhaps even related to the aging process and thinking. It appears that there is a gene mutation that reduces the incidence of Atherosclerosis. You can read about it here.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

it's all local. This is a very important point and one that IMHO is not explained often enough. There really is more than one mechanism in evolution. Mutations are not beneficial, or harmful in and of them selves. It's only the outcome that gives us any indication of benefit or harm.Likewise, Natural Selection can only be understood based on the results. Whether the outcome is beneficial or harmful depends on the point of view of the observer.We realy need to see the system as in constant flux, constant change. We are always looking back at a history, looking at what happened. Not only do the conditions change, but any given set of conditions will be both beneficial for some and harmful to others. Just as on the mutation side, Natural Selection is only harmful, beneficial or neutral in relation to the particular point of view of the observer.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion