Fitness Costs What?  Say That Again?

Good news: evolution has figured out how to make your wounds heal faster.  Bad news: the required mutation makes you go deaf.
    Believe it or not, that is the story told on News@Nature.  “Deafness gene has health benefit,” wrote Alison Abbott.  “Protein from genetic mutation helps wounds to heal.”  The article treats this as a good thing, the way evolution works:

A high frequency of mutation in any gene implies that there may be an evolutionary benefit for carriers.  “It is well known that various genetic mutations that cause sickness in particular geographical areas sometimes also protect against local diseases, so there is a trade-off,” says [David] Kelsell.

The article compared this with another oft-cited “beneficial” mutation – another good-news, bad-news joke, that if you get the mutation for sickle-cell anemia, you become more resistant to malaria.  Pick your poison.
    Kelsell says ”it’s speculation, but maybe the Cx26 deafness mutations have been selected owing to their beneficial effects on wounds.”  But then, how could the deaf winners tell each other the good news?

Darwinists, come back when you can figure out how to get the benefits without the trade-offs.  Your price is too high.  We’ll take the slower healing and keep the ears.