| Another explanation has been put forward by
Stephen Jay Gould.
Gould noted some complications with the standard interpretation. |
| |
Most lineages of ammonites contain species with low-dimensional sutures
throughout their histories. |
| |
Examining the descendants of a given
ancestor, no bias to higher suture dimension was observed. |
| |
No correlation was observed between the suture dimension and the longevity of a species. |
|
| Gould asserts the drift to higher dimensions is a
left wall phenomenon. |
| | Because the dimension of
a curve is at least 1,
random genetic drift cannot push the suture dimension lower; all it can do is
increase (or stay the same). | |
|
| Gould carries this point further and argues the
controversial view that |
|
|
| | there is no evolutionary drive to greater complexity, that the
effects we observe are all left wall phenomena. | |
|
| How does Gould support this view? |
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| The first life on Earth was bacteria. Click for the next picture. |
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