Scheffer, Marten. “Evolution.” In Critical Transitions in Nature and Society , pp. 166-185. Princeton University Press, 2020.
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Like the evolution of the climate system, the evolution of life on our planet has been a bumpy process. In fact, the two are intimately linked. For instance, the evolution of photosynthesis may eventually have led to a “snowball Earth” glaciation, terminating nearly all life on the Earth. Subsequently, the turbulent end of this episode, resulting in 50°C oceans for some time, marked the beginning of the Ediacaran and Cambrian explosions of new life-forms. Certainly, one of the most intriguing themes in evolution theory is the idea of punctuated equilibrium. It suggests that evolution is characterized by long periods of little change (stasis) punctuated by bursts of intense evolution and speciation. Most of the argument has been based on studies of the always imperfect fossil record. However, analysis of gene-sequenceslends independent support to the idea that a substantial part of evolutionary change is the result of brief episodes of rapid evolution.