The Material Basis of Evolution: Reissued (Silliman Milestones in Science) (Paperback)

~ Richard B. Goldschmidt (Author)

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Product Description

In this book, Goldschmidt inquires into the types of hereditary differences that produce new species. Goldschmidt used a wide range of research to formulate his own picture of evolution. Contrary to near-unanimity among scientists, he insisted that the neo-Darwinian theory of micromutations applied only within species and was no longer tenable as a general theory of evolution. Instead, Goldschmidt claimed, macroevolution resulted from larger jumps in genotype - across "bridgeless gaps" - related either to systemic mutations or to mutations affecting early development.

Product Details

• Paperback: 438 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (September 10, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300028237
• ISBN-13: 978-0300028232
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,047,211 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Heretic, July 12, 2008

By	A. Simon (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This is the author's magnum opus, a scientific treatise wherein he critiques the classical Darwinian-Wallace theory of evolution and comes to the conclusion that it is faulty. Divided into two halves, Microevolution and Macroevolution, he postulates that Natural Selection can account for microevolution, so that the different subspecies that come into being are due to adaptation to the environment. Macroevolution, leading to new species, however, is due to major rearrangements of the genome. As a result, Goldschmidt became a heretic to neo-Darwinists. Nonetheless, many of his arguments are valid.