"Look it up" isn't synonymous with "Google it".
It is in my world.
And is it?
Use the quote function already, is what what?
Is "normal" defined as what the gene did before the mutation? Isn't that gene, then, abnormal based on what it is a mutation of?
Sure, but as a gene gets fixated there shouldn't be a problem with calling it normal. Although, normalcy is kind of a fluffy concept anyways.
It isn't what it was before, but is that necessarily "damage"?
Not necessarily, but the word "damage" can work. I can see unnecessary implications and that the usage is sloppy, but I don't think its totally unwarranted.
I understand where you are coming from and don't doubt your knowledge, I'm just saying that damage is a poor word to use, because it implies certain things, like tampering. The way "damage" is usually used, it implies someone tampered with something and caused it harm.
I don't see that implication at all. The sun damages our skin, for instance.