How can the evolutionary progress from slime to humans be linear?

[moderator's note: This is clearly based on a misunderstanding -
or several misunderstandings - and I've seen this sort of argument
from creationists, but since no mention is made here of that
banned topic, let's educate politely, shall we? -- JAH]


All numbers shown are, to the best of my understanding, representing
"current knowledge" according to what I can find on the web...
Corrections are more than welcome, but please give sources!

Assume 150 000 000 base pairs in the first multicellular organism (this
is probably a very generous assumption).

There has been 800 000 000 years of evolution since the first
multicellular organism.

There are 3 150 000 000 base pairs in the human genome (3.15Gbp).

This means that 3 000 000 000 base pairs has been added in 800 000 000
Years... By random mutations in the germ line... All of them
favourable! All of them "saturating" the existing genome! Wow!

That is, on average, 3.75 favourable base pairs added to the genome
*per year*, irrespective of numerous catastrophic global extinction
events... (comments, PLEASE!)

All coming to pass due to mindless, random, germline DNA replication
errors? Is this to be considered at all possible???

The following is more clear using a fixed space font:

Time Required to Evolve (MYR = Megayears, MYA = Megayears ago):

Life Form MYR MYA
================================
Hominids 568 12
Primates 525 55
Placentals 460 120
Mammals 390 190
Therapsids 300 280
Reptiles 250 330
Amphibians 205 375
Lung Fish 170 410
Jawed Fish 115 465
Vertebrates 80 500
Hard-body organisms 30 550
Ediacaran Fossils 0 580

Time From Earlier Form:

Ediacaran Fossils 3000 580
Hard-body organisms 30 550
Vertebrates 50 500
Jawed Fish 35 465
Lung Fish 55 410
Amphibians 35 375
Reptiles 45 330
Therapsids 50 280
Mammals 90 190
Placentals 70 120
Primates 65 55
Hominids 43 12
Average MYR/New Form 52

In simple graph form, time from slime to * (in Excel, the correlation
is more obvious):

MYR
600
* (Hominids, 568 MYR)
550
* (Primates, 526)
500

450 * (Placentals, 460)

400 * (Mammals, 390)

350

300 * (Therapsids, 300)

250 * (Reptiles, 250)

200 * (Amphibians, 205)
* (Lung fish, 170)
150
* (Jawed fish, 115)
100 * (Vertebrates, 80)
* (Hard-body organisms, 30)
0

Note the "steady" rate of (on average) 52 MYR/new major form: the curve
from slime to me is virtually straight as an arrow!

BTW, is the "gap" between therapsids and mammals somehow significant?
Should the list be augmented with some form between them?


I find it interesting that I have not been able to find this type of
compilation anywhere on the net (if you know of a site that does,
please share!).

Am I the only one discerning a clear pattern here?

Seeing this straight line of evolution from "simple" to "complex," from
the Ediacaran to humans, how can anyone call this "random"? Shouldn't
we at least expect something resembling a random walk pattern?
Please help me understand this!

Uno


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