Earthworms Reveal an Evolutionary Mechanism that Could Defy Darwin

Earthworms reveal an evolutionary mechanism that could defy Darwin

In 1859, Darwin imagined evolution as a slow, gradual progress, with species accumulating small changes over time. But even he was surprised to find the fossil record offered no missing links: the intermediate forms which should have told this story step by step were simply not there. His explanation was as uncomfortable as it was unavoidable: basically, the fossil record is an archive where most of the pages have been torn out.

Earthworms Uncover an Evolutionary Mechanism That Challenges Darwin’s

In the annals of evolutionary biology, few debates have simmered as persistently as the question of how species evolve over time. Charles Darwin, in 1859, famously pictured evolution as a slowly unfolding narrative, a gradual accumulation of minuscule changes shaping life’s diversity across eons. Yet, even Darwin confronted an unsettling truth: the fossil record was puzzlingly silent on the transitional forms that should have signposted this inc…