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Podcast: The Neurodivergent Professor
Episode: Is Punctuated Equilibrium a Good Way to Change the World? NDP 180
Description: Have you seen (or read) “2001: A Space Odyssey”?The story opens at the time of early humans. Folks are going about their business when a ginormous monolith appears. Everyone freaks out at first, but then some develop the ability to use bones as tools. At first, I didn’t understand that the monolith represented punctuated equilibrium. This is a phrase used by evolutionary biologists to describe a quick shift in the fossil record representing a significant change. Compare this to gradualism, characterized by the slow accumulation of small changes. As an impatient person, I prefer...