American paleontologist and evolutionary biologist who challenged gradualism with punctuated equilibrium and wrote the best natural history essays of the 20th century.
Punctuated equilibrium (with Niles Eldredge): evolution proceeds in bursts of rapid change separated by long periods of stasis — not gradual continuous change. The Spandrels of San Marco (with Lewontin): not all biological features are adaptive — some are structural by-products (spandrels). Monthly essays for Natural History magazine: the best popular science writing of the era. The Mismeasure of Man: a critique of intelligence testing and the history of biological determinism.
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