Overview
An insider's provocative account of one of the most contentiousdebates in science today
When Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould, two of the world'sleading evolutionary theorists, proposed a bold new theory ofevolution—the theory of "punctuated equilibria"—theystood the standard interpretation of Darwin on its head. They alsoignited a furious debate about the true nature of evolution.
On the one side are the geneticists. They contend that evolutionproceeds slowly but surely, driven by competition among organismsto transmit their genes from generation to generation. On the otherare the paleontologists, like Eldredge and Gould, who show in thefossil record that in fact evolution proceeds only sporadically.Long periods of no change—equilibria—are "punctuated"by episodes of rapid evolutionary activity. According to thepaleontologists, this pattern shows that evolution is driven farmore by environmental forces than by genetic competition.
How can the prevailing views on evolution be so different? InReinventing Darwin, Niles Eldredge offers a spirited account of thedispute and an impressive case for the paleontologists' side of thestory. With the mastery that only a leading contributor to thedebate can provide, he charts the course of theory from Darwin'sday to the present and explores the fundamental mysteries andcrucial questions that underlie the current quarrels.
Is evolution fired by a gentle and persistent motor and fueledby the survival instincts of "selfish genes"? Or does it proceed infits and starts, as the fossil record seems to show? What is therole of environmental changes such as habitat destruction and ofcataclysmic events like meteor impacts? Are most species inherentlystable, changing only very little until they succumb to extinction?Or are species highly adaptable, changing all the time?
Eldredge sorts through the major findings and interpretationsand presents a lively introduction to the leading edge ofevolutionary theory today. Reinventing Darwin offers a rareinsider's view of the sometimes contentious, but always stimulatingwork of scientific inquiry.
PRAISE FOR NILES ELDREDGE'S PREVIOUS BOOKS
The Miner's Canary: Unraveling the Mysteries of Extinction
"The Miner's Canary rings with integrity. The author takes careto present opposing views. Some readers, indeed, might view Mr.Eldredge as a little too self-effacing; he is, after all, one ofthe world's leading experts in his field."—The New York TimesBook Review
Fossils: The Evolution and Extinction of Species
". . . an important and informative book. It is alsodelightfully idiosyncratic. This is no scholarly treatise defendingacademic argument. It is an essay for everyone interested in thestory of earthly life."—The Christian Science Monitor
Life Pulse: Episodes from the Story of the Fossil Record
"This is Earth history on a grand scale; those who enjoy theworks of Stephen Jay Gould will appreciate LifePulse."—Publishers Weekly
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