dhw: Punctuated equilibrium explains the apparent jumps (probably associated with changes in the environment after periods of stasis). -DAVID: You surprise me. Punc-eq is a term given to an observation of species appearing following stasis. It is a descriptive term. It explains nothing. -Quite right. Careless of me. I was responding to an item on Tony's list of objections to evolutionary theory: "the lack of time. (They explain it away with punctuated equilibrium)". I have made the correction in my latest response to him. Thank you.