Beautiful
Thank you, Carolyn. The two events were punctuated for very different reasons but their consequences will be the same - if we don’t act.
The road towards publishing this paper has been complex and punctuated; the trip only made possible by the collaborative efforts of a fantastic team! Salva Duran-Nebreda, @andrejpaleo.bsky.social@blaividiella.bsky.social, Niles Eldredge, Alex Bentley and Mike O'Brien.
Takeaway: #punctuated_evolution evolution isn't confined to the past. It's happening now, in our rapidly changing world. By recognizing complex evolutionary patterns, we can better anticipate and adapt to present and future challenges.
Technological evolution mirrors this too. From the Industrial Revolution to the Digital Age, progress often comes in sudden, transformative bursts rather than a smooth continuum. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Anthropology offers a human twist. It has been suggested (although it is controversial) that the "Upper Paleolithic Transition" (~45,000 years ago) saw an explosion of human creativity and #technology. Tools, art, and social structures evolved rapidly, punctuating long periods of relative stasis.
Jump to molecular #biology#evolution#gradual#genomic#epigenetics#horizontal_gene_transfer, and massive re-arrangements.
Let's start with #geology#Permian#extinction#volcanism wiped out 95% of species. Massive CO2 emissions led to drastic climate shifts, showing punctuated evolution at work on a planetary scale.
