>>>jack,-mutations can result in "useful" info. no disagreement there.
whether novel info can arise from mutations is unproven, last I heard, despite guests assertions to the contrary.<<

I think that by definition, mutations are "novel." Whether they lead to "novel information" depends on the following, whether the mutation changes the genome of the offspring, whether the offspring survives the mutation, and whether the offspring gains a competitive advantage.

To say that is unproven is to deny the basic principles of genetics, biology, and statistics.