And we still have no evidence that tanning is hereditary, that skin cells don't reproduce by mitosis, or that simple single cell organisms don't form simple multi-cell colonies that can act in unison with different cells taking on special tasks compared to other cells.

In other words, we still have no evidence for any of the arguments made by Russ or CTD.

The big problem with this whole argument though, is that before you can mix existing different alleles you have to make them.

Mutation makes them. And it has been demonstrated. That "far less than one per cent of these differences" is more than enough to accumulate over time. One hundred generations produces much more than 100 times the mutation rate, because the mutation rate applies to every member of the population.

We have also seen where such mutations have provided an immediate benefit to the organisms whenever they are able to use a new food source, a type of beneficial mutation that is recorded many times in lab experiments and in the wild.

CTD's focus on recombination is nothing but a red-herring argument. He once again ignores the issues.

Enjoy.