One small step at a time. It is like a jigsaw puzzle, nature keeps what works (pieces that fit) and when it gains through mutation a new piece that fits, it adds it. Nature has lots of time and individuals in a population to do all that.
Here are the known mechanisms for mutation and a few examples:
MUTATION ADDS INFORMATION TO A GENOME
E. coli long-term evolution experiment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._coli_long-term_evolution_experiment
For over 25 years, E coli have been cultured in a broth that is poor in nutrients for E coli, but rich in citrate. Of the 25 cultures, only one is prospering metabolizing citrate. It took 2 independent mutations for that 1 culture to get the genetic information to metabolize citrate.
Every time I post this list CRR, our resident YEC, takes issue with the Linski data. (Would copy/paste his objection, but he deleted it.) Anyhow, the gist is: E coli can metabolize citrate in anaerobic conditions and the genes for citrate metabolism are “switched OFF” for aerobic conditions. In the Linski Experiment, 2 gene mutations switched the genes ON under aerobic conditions. CRR claims that this is a “loss of information.” Let’s look at that claim and you decide. Switch genes carry only ON/OFF information for a gene or set of genes. The genes controlled carry orders of magnitude more information (instructions for the actual function of the gene(s)), so switching a gene or set of genes ON is a net INCREASE in information available to the cell. Looking at it from the perspective of the E coli bacteria, if I have an abundant food source I can use and reproduce at maximum rate while you are starving and having a hard time reproducing, I have a significant selective advantage. EXACTLY what evolution predicts, my type E coli prospers.
There are parallels in human evolution. One is Lactose Tolerance. Most mammals lose the ability to metabolize milk and milk products soon after they are weaned. Humans domesticated cattle and had milk and milk products available at all times. We got lucky and evolved switch genes that do NOT shut-off the enzymes to digest milk. CRR would say that, that was a loss of information in the human genome. Even if true, it would be a “No Harm/No Foul.” Humans have milk in their diet because they can tolerate it Humans that are Lactose Intolerant are only at a slight disadvantage; they must just avoid milk and milk products. Note, though it is the humans that are Lactose Intolerant that are at a disadvantage, because milk and milk products are now a common food for adult humans.
Richard Feynman and safe cracking
Richard Feynman had little time for fools and people less intelligent than he was (most people) that had been placed in positions of authority. During WWII, he was part of the team of physicists that developed the Atomic Bomb. During the day they all interacted and exchanged ideas and hypothesis. NOTHING was secret between the physicists. But, at night, the US Government required that everything be locked up in a standard GSA, 3 drawer, combination lock file cabinet (3 numbers between 0 and 40) and all offices locked. NOTE WHAT IS GOING ON HERE: The most important information of WWII is being protected from the physicists that are developing it by cheap government file cabinets and locks.
Richard Feynman, Nobel Prize winner in Physics, was famous for picking locks while lecturing advanced quantum mechanics. He considered that skill to be a useful piece of knowledge. He developed that skill and the skill to open locked safes (file cabinets), while working on the development of the Atomic Bomb, to get access to information he needed after hours. ALL the physicists had access to the contents of the safes during normal working hours. Only Feynman could open ALL the safes after hours. NOTE: THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION OF WWII IS PROTECTED BY CHEAP LOCKS THAT CAN BE EASILY SOLVED BY LOGIC. By CRR's logic, Feynman had less knowledge, AFTER he picked the lock to an office, cracked the file cabinet lock, and had access to the contents of all the file cabinets. You decide.
All the following examples are taken from:
Miller, Kenneth R.; ONLY A THEORY, Viking, Penguin Group, Inc.; 2008; Pages74 - 84, devotes an entire sub-chapter to this exact subject. I need only copy his references.)
Schneider, Thomas; US National Institute of Health
http://www.ccrnp.ncifcrf.gov/~toms/paper/ev/
Dr. Schneider’s program models genome evolution being driven by mutation, selection, and reproduction.
Irfan D. P rijambada, et al, “Emergence of Nylon Oligomer Degradation Enzymes in Psuedomonas aeruginosa PAO Through Experimental Evolution,” Applied and Experimental Microbiology 61 (1995); 2020-22
Laboratory cultures of P aeruginosa were exposed to a manmade polymer (Nylon) that has never existed in nature. Through evolution (mutation, selection, reproduction) the bacteria developed an enzyme (genetic information) to depolymerize nylon into its’ component organic compounds that the bacteria could metabolize.
Shelley D Copley, “Evolution of a Metabolic Pathway for Degradation of a Toxic Xenobiotic: The Patchwork Approach,” Trends in Biological Sciences 25 (2000):261-65.
Insects, like the bacteria above, develop enzymes to inactavate a manmade compound (pesticide pentachlorophenol) not found in nature.
Glenn R Johnson, et al, “Origins of the 2, 4-dinitrotoluene Pathway.” Journal
of Bacterlogy, 184, (2002)4219-32
Bacteria develop the enzymes to breakdown and metabolize a manmade compound (explosive) not found in nature.
John M Logsdan, Jr. and W Ford Doolittle, “Origin of Antifreeze Protein Genes: A Cool Tale ion Molecular Evolution,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 94 (1997): 3485 - 87
How did fish evolve “antifreeze” to prevent their blood from freezing in Antarctic waters? Evolution repurposed existing genes to produce proteins to prevent the fish blood freezing?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22012/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_duplication
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23640422
http://cshperspectives.cshlp.org/content/7/2/a016592
Mario, you are looking at a Lockheed SR-71 and saying that the Wright Brothers could not build a heavier than air aircraft because they did not have the technology to fabricate titanium skin or access to Pratt-Whitney J58 jet engines.
Consider the airplane: Before 2 bicycle mechanics did it, Professors of Physics produced proofs that heavier than air flight was impossible. Conventional Wisdom was, "Man will NEVER fly." Yet, less than 10 years after the 1st flight, aircraft were effective weapons of war. Less than 55 years after the 1st flight, Lockheed produced the SR-71, Mach 3, 3000 miles range, 85,000+ feet operating altitude. Pretty good for something impossible.