Hi Dan,

On mutations: I did a smart-@rse check on Wikipedia and found this:

"Loogvali et al. (2009) .... have recalibrated the molecular clock of human mtDNA as 7990 years per synonymous mutation over the mitochondrial genome."

it seems that mutation times vary for all sorts of reasons, but perhaps we can run with the figure of eight thousand years/mutation. So, since Bishop Ussher established 4004 BC as the date of the Creation (some time in October, I think? ), we have not actually had time yet for a single mutation in Eve's mtDNA.

So probably not in Adam's either. So, genetics supports what Pericles pointed out, that God designed humans with the gene already inbuilt. And in his image. God loves homosexuals because .......

A puzzle: if God made man in his own image (though we can play around with the extent of the meaning of 'image'), then God has DNA and therefore, presumably, passed on his Y-chromosomes to Jesus. And if Dan Brown is right, then there are possibly many people in southern France who, to this day, have God's Y-chromosomes. All of them.

Another entirely different puzzle: if God made us in his image, does he have a stomach ? After all, does he need to eat ? Yes, I can understand that he may eat simply for pleasure - after all, he is made in our image, so if we eat for pleasure, why shouldn't he ? If so, I make a pretty good fruit cake, if I say so myself, and whenever he wants to call me home, if he gives me a day or so's notice, I can bring one with me. Unless I'm not actually due to go up there, then in that case I'll try to find a way to get one from the other place, I'm sure there are back-channels :)

Of course, if he has a stomach, he must also have a complete digestive system, so .... he's only human, after all.

Cheers,

Joe

WmTrevor, thanks for the advice.

I found my nickname in the Barry Levison movie, Tin Men. One of the characters was using the nickname Mr. Merengue towards his rival