In 1972 two graduate students in evolutionary biology — Steven Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge — developed the concept that evolution seems to proceed NOT in an imperceptible crawl, but in unpredictable leaps and spasms. They coined the term “punctuated equilibrium” acknowledging the evidence of the fossil record, which seems to show vast periods of unchanging stability over tens of millions of years for many species, with abrupt discontinuities — i.e., new forms and sudden multiple furcations —over seemingly infinitesimal timespans.

Dang. I forgot what my point was.

Oh, yeah. Later discussions and investigations by biologists point to the idea that the mass crowd in an environment lacking substantial challenge tends to overwhelm any of the naturally-occurring mutations, and keep the population stable within a relatively narrow range for long periods.

It is in the isolated valleys and plateaus far removed from the rest of the teeming herds that those natural mutations have a chance to give a few breeding pairs a chance to get a leg up on the competition, because conditions are NOT the same as for the rest.

Sorta like politics.

I don’t think the folks at Belmont are necessarily genius-material.

But because they’ve gone off to investigate up a winding canyon away from the rest of the ungulates, they’re dealing with different conditions, and seeing realities in NEW WAYS.

Sooner or later, the cosmic rays hurtling through the dna of their propagative systems produces useful mutations that will NOT be suppressed by the stultifyin’ crowd.

Thanks, Wretchard.