In which Max considers the problems involved in interpreting the enigmatic fossils of the Ediacaran Period, as well as some influential attempts to interpret them
Read MoreParadox of Stasis
In the second part of a three-part “Problematica,” Max examines why the development of punctuated equilibria did so little to upset Gould’s early adaptationist and progressivist ideas about evolution—at least at first
Read MoreSixth months of the (De-) Extinct Blog
In which we look back at six months of new content on Extinct (with lots more to come!)
Read MoreHow to Change Your Life Using Punctuated Equilibria
In the first part of a three-part installment of “Problematica,” Max examines what Stephen Jay Gould was up to on the eve of “Punctuated equilibria: an alternative to phyletic gradualism” (1972), and introduces an interpretive puzzle
Read MoreStray Thoughts on Contingency Following the MBL-ASU History of Biology Seminar
In which Max reflects on the recent MBL-ASU History of Biology Seminar on historical contingency in biology
Read MoreHistory, Kindness, and the Great Evolutionary Faunas
In which Max considers a recent account of historical natural kinds, and force-feeds it the example of the “great evolutionary faunas”
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