"...Johnson refers to the "notion" of punctuated equilibrium championed by Gould and others. (p. 179) It's more than a notion I have to say. Punctuated equilibrium refers to evolution taking place according to two general stages, rapid species development and die off on the one hand, and stasis on the other. Rapid evolution occurs when many environmental changes take place relatively fast. Organisms must change and change quickly if they are to survive. The long periods of stasis suggest a large, well-adapted population.
Looking at punctuated equilibrium inside a single organism such as a human body we can imagine that if there are few stressors and few assaults and other changes to the internal environment, then the cells of the body will experience a period of stasis. However if there are assaults to the body in form of stress, injuries, pollutants, poisons, malnutrition, obesity, radiation, etc. the DNA of the cells as well as the body's DNA repair mechanisms and other safeguards against wildcat reproduction become less effective and rapid evolution of dividing cells takes place resulting sometimes in cancerous growths. Inevitably over the course of a lifetime for many human beings there will be periods of rapid change, and there will be cancer."
Imagine the clouds dripping.
Dig a hole in your garden to put them in.
No comments:
Post a Comment