Stable Isotopes and the Study of Evolution in Planktonic Foraminifera
The study of evolution by natural selection is difficult because, by definition, it occurs under uncontrolled conditions. All biological organisms are highly complex entities and their interactions with the environment and each other are unpredictable, except in the most general terms. Countless cha...
Published in: | The Paleontological Society Papers |
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Main Author: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
1998
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1089332600000425 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S1089332600000425 |
Summary: | The study of evolution by natural selection is difficult because, by definition, it occurs under uncontrolled conditions. All biological organisms are highly complex entities and their interactions with the environment and each other are unpredictable, except in the most general terms. Countless chance events impact cumulatively on the genetic composition of a descendant lineage, resulting in substantial evolutionary change over very long periods of time. Understanding how evolution works in practice is a matter for basic science, but it is attended by unique and difficult problems. |
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