I'm afraid I really don't find "punctuated equilibrium" any less unbelievable than "macromutationism."
What mechanism causes mobility between major forms in such a short time (whatever "short" means)? Environmental adaptation only? X-rays? Fairy godmothers?
And maybe I just don't understand what I'm reading, but I fail to see how you can make the sweeping generalization "puntuctuated equilibrium fits the facts of the fossil record pretty well" based on that article. The studies quoted appear to be saying that species are stable, not that species mutate into other species over geologically short periods; the latter conclusion still appears to be an assumption based on negative evidence. If gradualism requires that there be 1 million years' worth of transitional forms, but PE only requires 10,000 years' worth, then if you find no transitional forms, PE becomes easier to defend, but that's still a long way from proof.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2002-11-17 04:34 pm (UTC)What mechanism causes mobility between major forms in such a short time (whatever "short" means)? Environmental adaptation only? X-rays? Fairy godmothers?
And maybe I just don't understand what I'm reading, but I fail to see how you can make the sweeping generalization "puntuctuated equilibrium fits the facts of the fossil record pretty well" based on that article. The studies quoted appear to be saying that species are stable, not that species mutate into other species over geologically short periods; the latter conclusion still appears to be an assumption based on negative evidence. If gradualism requires that there be 1 million years' worth of transitional forms, but PE only requires 10,000 years' worth, then if you find no transitional forms, PE becomes easier to defend, but that's still a long way from proof.