The Sudden Surges That Forge Evolutionary Trees
8 days ago
- #speciation
- #punctuated-equilibrium
- #evolution
- Cephalopods and other species show evolutionary changes in sudden bursts rather than gradual accumulation.
- Punctuated equilibrium theory, introduced in 1972, challenges the traditional view of slow, steady Darwinian evolution.
- A new mathematical framework supports punctuated equilibrium, showing rapid evolutionary changes at branching points in evolutionary trees.
- The model incorporates 'spikes' to measure rapid changes during speciation and accounts for extinct branches ('phantom bursts').
- Findings suggest that 99% of cephalopod evolution occurred in bursts near branching points, with minimal gradual change.
- The pattern of rapid evolutionary bursts also applies to human languages and cultural evolution.
- Paleontologists and molecular biologists have differing perspectives on evolutionary tempo, but the new model bridges these views.
- Further testing with more datasets is needed to validate the saltative branching model.