Punctuated Equilibrium by lcrp
In 1972, paleontologists Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould presented a new theory in evolutionary biology they called “punctuated equilibrium”. The theory attempted to explain an inconsistency between how science then understood the process of evolution, and what the fossil record showed: that, rather than a smooth, gradual, and ongoing transition of morphology from one species to the next and the next over time, many species appeared to be fairly stable for long periods and then new species would arise comparatively rapidly. These “punctuations” between species happen when part of a species is exposed to new evolutionary pressures (climate, predation, geographic isolation, etc.) and occur on geologic time scales – tens of thousands of years, versus equilibria of millions of years.
Stability vs instability and a high ratio between them, exploring the way a dynamic but balanced process attempts to reestablish itself when disturbed, even if it’s not quite the same in the wake of the disturbance.
