The history of life may be compared to a huge cable enclosing as many strands as there are fossil and present species. The biosphere, with its 2 million species, would then correspond to a transverse section through this cable.

We have pointed out that the history of the giraffe’s neck served as an example to explain the theoretical concepts of transformism, proposed by J.-B. Lamarck, and of Darwin’s natural selection. However, at that time it had not been substantiated by palaeontological data. Since then, the record has furnished a number of fossils which enable us to reconstruct the major trends in the evolution of the giraffides of Africa, Asia, and Europe [1,2, 3] (Fig. 16.1; Appendix 16.1).

Continu versus discontinu, linéaire versus non linéaire dans l’évolution des espèces

Resume L’evolution des especes est un domaine ou se sont opposees durant deux siecles les notions de continu et de discontinu. Qu’en est-il reellement aujourd’hui entre continuite versus discontinuite dans l’evolution biologique ? La distribution des apparitions et disparitions d’especes chez les rongeurs campagnols suit des lois de puissance qui suggere l’existence de modeles non-lineaires et de structures fractales dans le vivant. Le champ de l’evolution du vivant est elargi, au travers des phenomenes physiques critiques, a l’analyse des phenomenes biologiques deterministes lineaires versus non deterministes non lineaires. Ces observations sont coherentes avec la nouvelle theorie de la re…

Note sur l'ontogenèse crânienne et les hétérochronies chez Gorilla gorilla et Pan troglodytes

Resume La comparaison par les methodes Procrustes de l'ontogenese crânienne de Pan troglodytes et de Gorilla gorilla precise la dynamique et la chronologie de leur developpement. Les arbres phenetiques confirment un gradient morphologique du nouveau-ne a l'adulte, avec un dimorphisme d'origine sexuelle plus accuse chez le gorille. La quantification des changements morphologiques par des champs vectoriels permet de visualiser et de comparer l'organisation spatiale de la croissance cranio-faciale des deux especes. On en deduit que des heterochronies du developpement (acceleration, pre-deplacement, hypermorphose par acceleration et hypermorphose par post-deplacement) sont a l'origine des varia…

A solution to the human paradox: fundamental ontogenies and heterochronies

Solving the human paradox means explaining how a genetic difference of a mere 1% can be consistent with 5 million years of anatomical transformation from great apes to present-dayHomo sapiens. The solution proposed here is that of the internal history of ontogenetic change. A concept of “fundamental ontogeny” is developed and deduced from comparison between living and fossil primates. The fossil human lineage can be summarized into five fundamental ontogenies corresponding to successive skull plans (bauplans) resulting from five major phases of craniofacial contraction: prosimians (adapiforms), monkey apes (propliopithecidae), great apes (dryopithecidae), australopithecines andHomo. The mor…

This quote by J. Huxley reflects the present consensus between scientists, philosophers, and theologians alike, after a long period of fundamental disagreement on this crucial question for mankind.

La “Donna di Ostuni”, a case of eclampsia 28,000 years ago?

La "Donna di Ostuni", the Lady from Ostuni (fortified medieval city, on the southern Italian Adriatic coast) is the skeleton of "the human most ancient mother" ever found by paleoanthropologists, grave dated of 28,000 years BP. It concerns a 20-years-old woman buried with her baby in her womb estimated at 8 months gestation. To date, the cause of the maternal-fetal deaths is qualified of unknown origin. We propose that eclampsia may be a possible explanation for these deaths (mother and baby together). Eclampsia (convulsions), the curse of human births (non-existent in other mammals), has been described since writings has existed 5000 years ago in all civilisations. This plausible descripti…

The formulation of the synthetic theory represented a significant-advance for evolutionary studies, which had previously been hampered by apparently irreconcilable contractions. Combining Mendelian laws with Darwinism, it joined the antitheses in a synthesis which was subsequently refined and completed. Today, its content may not be simply rejected or ignored, although there are those who think of it as little more than a corpse.

Missing Records and Depositional Breaks in French Late Pleistocene Cave Sediments

AbstractCave entrance and rock shelter infillings are positioned within the Pleistocene chronology for three areas of France (northern Alps, Franche-Comté, and Périgord). Despite minor local variations, it is possible to identify regional types with a consistent depositional record over long intervals of time. The interregional variability relates to the frequency and position of the gaps within the infillings. Sites in the northern Alps have not yielded any artifacts older than the Upper Paleolithic (Magdalenı́an), and dated sedimentary sequences do not go back beyond the Older Dryas. More complete sequences in Franche-Comté contain Mousterian industries. Two major gaps occur here, one las…

La notion d'espace morphologique,outil d'analyse de la morphodiversité des organismes

Resume L'analyse de la morphologie des organismes est une base essentielle dans la mise en evidence des changementsevolutifs. La morphologie est maintenant frequemment abordee par des procedures quantitatives, dont certaines permettent de construire de veritables cartes morphologiques ou les dissemblances et ressemblances de formes entre les organismes sont directement lisibles et quantifiees. La notion d'espace morphologique, illustree ici par differents exemples, se revele particulierement feconde pour comprendre comment la diversite morphologique d'un ensemble d'organismes (stades ontogenetiques, populations, clades) se structure, et par consequent pour interpreter en termes evolutifs ou…

Organ xenografting between rodents: an evolutionary perspective

Rejection times of heart xenografts in several donor-recipient combinations including the guinea pig, rat, hamster, and mouse are examined in light of the paleontological history of rodents and the resulting phylogenetic distances between taxa. This multidisciplinary review at the molecular, chromosomal and morphological levels suggests that xenograft rejection time is inversely proportional to the time divergence or phylogenetic distance, and that the binomial terminology concordant/discordant does not reflect the amplitude of phylogenetic distances.

L'arbre de la vie a-t-il une structure fractale?

Abstract We analyse the time sequences of major evolutionary leaps at various scales, from the scale of the global tree of life, to the scales of orders and families such as sauropod dinosaurs, North American fossil Equidae, rodents, and primates including the Hominidae. In each case we find that these data are consistent with a log- periodic law to high level of statistical significance. Such a law is characterized by a critical epoch of convergence Tc specific to the lineage under consideration and that can be interpreted as the end of that lineage's capacity to evolve.

We may state that the path of development of an organism can play an important role in its immediate realization and also in its possible transformation. This leads to the problem of the existence of a causative link between individual development (ontogeny) and evolutionary history (phylogeny). This problem which has been dealt with by numerous authors, has led to contradictory answers, depending on the direction of the supposed connection: from the evolutionary history to individual development or vice versa, that is, from individual development to the evolutionary history.

New data on bat fossils from Middle and Upper Pleistocene localities of France

We describe the bat fossils preserved in four sites from the middle and upper Pleistocene, three of them being well-known French localities: the rock shelter of Les Valerots, the caves of l’Escale at Saint Estève Janson and ‘‘du Prince’’ at Grimaldi (Italy), and the filling of Combe-Grenal, all of them containing microvertebrate assemblages with yet undescribed bat fossils. All species represented in these four localities are still presently distributed in France and had been previously recorded in other Pleistocene localities of central and western Europe, including France. The four assemblages differ both in the abundance of bat fossils as in species composition. The characteristics of ea…

This hotly debated question remains topical. Is biological evolution subjected to a strict determinism, to laws facilitating prediction, or is it at least in part subject to chance, and thereby unpredictable? We shall now consider this problem.

Position of the palaeontological site Aven I des Abîmes de La Fage, at Noailles (Corrèze, France), in the European Pleistocene chronology

Mourer-Chauvire, C., Philippe, M., Quinif, Y., Chaline, J., Debard, E., Guerin, C. & Hugueney, M. 2003 (September): Position of the palaeontological site Aven I des Abimes de La Fage, at Noailles (Correze, France), in the European Pleistocene chronology. Boreas, Vol. 32, pp. 521–531. Oslo. ISSN 0300–9483. The palaeontological locality of Aven I des Abimes de La Fage, at Noailles, Correze, France, is a limestone swallow hole filling which includes a rich fauna of micro- and macromammals, and one of the most complete Pleistocene avifaunas in the Palearctic. According to the mammal fauna and to the sedimentological study, the filling was previously assigned to the penultimate, Saalian, glaciat…

Chromosomes and the origins of apes and australopithecins

Comparison of molecular data suggests that the higher apes (Gorilla, Pan) and humankind (Homo) are closely related and that they diverged from the common ancestor through two speciation events situated very closely together in time. Examination of the chromosomal formulas of the living species reveals a paradox in the distribution of mutated chromosomes which can only be resolved by a model of trichotomic diversification. This new model of divergence from the common ancestor is characterized by the transition from (1) a monotypic phase to (2) a polytypic phase of three sub-species — pre-gorilla, pre-chimpanzee and preaustralopithecine. The quadruped ancestors ofAustralopithecus appear to ha…

Biology tells us about the processes and mechanisms which are able to explain effectively the changes occurring in organisms and species. Palaeontology, with the temporal dimension at its disposal, adds to this data which are indispensable for our understanding of speciation and of the patterns and rhythms of evolutionary change. Only through this we are able to observe the historical development of the evolution, of the living world as it took place through geological time. Based on data obtained from other branches of the earth sciences, palaeontology is able to evaluate the external constraints which frequently act at random on the living organism and which control the formation of new s…

Des fleurs pour Schrödinger : la relativité d'échelle et ses applications.

421 pages

On the Fractal Structure of Evolutionary Trees

We analyse in terms of a fractal tree the time sequences of major evolutionary leaps at various scales: from the scale of the “global” tree of life (appearance of life to homeothermy), to the distinct scales of organization of clades, such as sauropod and theropod dinosaurs, North American equids, rodents, primates including hominids, and echinoderms. We also apply this type of model to the acceleration observed in the economic crisis/no-crisis pattern in Western and pre-Columbian civilizations. In each case we find that these data are consistent with a log-periodic law of acceleration or deceleration, to a high level of statistical significance. Such a law is characterized by a critical ep…

Major palaeohydrographic changes in Alpine foreland during the Pliocene - Pleistocene

International audience; The changing palaeogeographical pattern of Alpine deposits across the European forelands can be traced by identifying mineral assemblages and establishing the chronology of Pliocene-Pleistocene deposits in Alpine foreland. In the late Miocene, the upper courses of the Rhine and the Aar flowed east from the Swiss molasse plain towards the Danube. In the early Pliocene (Brunssumian, 5-3.2 Ma), these same rivers headed north-wards towards the Rhine Graben of Alsace. In the early Reuverian, these streams were captured south of the Rhine Graben by the Doubs. They ceased their northward flow and headed west to feed the Bresse Graben. This phase is dated to the Lower and Mi…

Let us sit on the terrace of a street cafe and watch the crowds pass by. The first basic unit we observe is the individual: tall, small, fat, long-faced, round-faced — the diversity is large. Among these individuals there will be a few with particular features, such as colour of skin or type of hair, which differ from the vast majority of local individuals, thereby indicating that they originated from another part of the world. We shall install a video camera at this site and will carry out the same observations simultaneously in Paris, Dakar, and Tokyo. When the films are then brought together and shown in the same room, the observers will not fail to note that the individuals of one city …

Développement humain et loi log-périodique

We suggest applying the log-periodic law formerly used to describe various crisis phenomena, in biology (evolutionary leaps), inorganic systems (earthquakes), societies and economy (economic crisis, market crashes) to the various steps of human ontogeny. We find a statistically significant agreement between this model and the data.

Observers of the past and present noted an extraordinary diversity in the organic world: A snail is different from a river crayfish, which differs from a starfish, which in turn has nothing in common with a lobster or even man.

Quantification de révolution morphologique du crâne des Hominidés et hétérochronies

Abstract Comparisons of adult skulls of various species of great apes, fossil hominids and modern humans in the sagittal, Francfort and ortho-sagittal planes reveal a series of three separate organisation plans: ‘Great Ape’, ‘Australopithecine’ and ‘Homo’, the latter including primitive men ( Homo ergaster-erectus-neandertalensis ) and modern humans ( Homo sapiens ). Morphological changes between these plans are quantified for the first time here by vector fields. This study confirms the existence of cranio-facial contraction, which occurs as a series of leaps. The juvenile morphology of the great ape skull is broadly preserved in adult Homo sapiens, suggesting that numerous heterochronies …

From his studies on Invertebrate animals and fossils in the vicinity of Paris, J.-B. de Lamarck (1744–1829) formulated a number of conclusions in his Zoological Philosophy [1] (1809), the first coherent theory of evolution. However, in contrast to commonly held belief, this was not based purely on speculation, but was progressively elaborated.

Quantification of cranial convergences in arvicolids (Rodentia)

Cranial convergence in nine species of arvicolids is quantified phenetically using geometric morphometry. In a preliminary step, a hypothesis about phyletic relationships is proposed as a framework against which to examine morphological comparisons. The cranial morphology is then depicted in three series of 37, 20 and 13 landmarks characterizing the lower, upper and lateral sides of the skull respectively. Superimposition (Procrustes) methods are used to quantify shape differences and establish phenograms for the three sides of the skull. The phenogram obtained for lateral sides reveals a strong connection between skull profile and mode of life: surface dwelling forms have elongated skulls …

Were climatic changes a driving force in hominid evolution?

International audience; A comparison of externalist and internalist approaches in hominid evolution shows that the externalist approach, with its claim that climate was responsible for the appearance of bipedalism and hominization, now seems to be ruled out by the biological, palaeogeographical, palaeontological and palaeoclimatic data on which it was based. Biological data support the embryonic origin of cranio-facial contraction, which determined the increase in cranial capacity and the shift in the position of the foramen magnum implying bipedalism. In the internalist approach, developmental biology appears as the driving force of hominid evolution, although climate exerts a significant …

The key stages in the history of the living world may be summed up as follows: formation of the major types of body plan at the start of the Cambrian, with the appearance of the last, the vertebrates, during the upper Cambrian. Thereafter evolution took place within these plans through “modulations” exploiting a number of possibilities.

One of the first difficulties encountered when trying to understand evolution is the concept of geological time, for which we have no comparison in everyday life.

Extending the species concept in time leads us to understand evolution as a dynamic process which takes place at different rates and in different patterns. We shall examine this below.

Genetics and developmental genetics have given us such a wealth of new insight that, at the end of this century, the synthetic theory can no longer be maintained in the strict “orthodox” sense in which it was started.

The genetic material containts the instructions necessary for the construction of an organism and ensures the continuity of the species by transmission of the construction plan from generation to generation over considerable periods of time.

Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck [1], who introduced the concept of transformism, interpreted the lengthening of the giraffe neck by the animal’s desire to reach the higher leaves in trees: “As far as habits are concerned, it is of interest to observe its result, the particular shape of the giraffe (G. camelopardalis) and its size. We know that this tallest of all mammals lives in the African interior in areas which are almost continuously dry and without a grass cover. The animal thus has to live off the foliage of trees and has to strain itself continously to reach this foliage. As a result of this sustained habit, eventually in all individuals of this race, the front legs become longer than the …

Possible role of eclampsia/preeclampsia in evolution of human reproduction.

10 pages

Lobsters and dolphins are adapted to aquatic life whereas the green woodpecker and the fly are adapted to aerial life. The way in which these organisms are constructed allows them to execute certain functions within certain environments. This is a first, simple definition of adaptation which describes:The evolutionary process of adjustment of an organism to its environment. This historical aspect will be discussed in subsequent chapters.The result of this process — the state of adaptation — or the form of an organism at a certain point in its history. This functional-structural aspect will be dealt with here.

The last glacial/interglacial record of rodent remains from the Gigny karst sequence in the French Jura used for palaeoclimatic and palaeoecological reconstructions

Abstract A multidisciplinary approach has produced an exceptional chronological log of climatic patterns for the Upper Pleistocene sequence of Gigny Cave (Jura, France) covering the Pre-Eemian, Eemian Interglacial, Middle Glacial and Upper Pleniglacial, as well as a part of the Holocene. Multivariate analysis (correspondence and component analysis) of rodent associations from the sequence is used here to characterize the different climatic stages in terms of relative temperature, plant cover and moisture. Faunal analysis establishes: (1) positive and negative correlations among the variations of the different species; (2) the significance of axis 1 (component analysis) which, in terms of te…

Vers une approche globale de l'évolution des Hominidés

Abstract Two models of diversification of the common ancestor of gorillas, chimpanzees and men can be proposed on the basis of the distribution of chromosomal rearrangements in extant species and reconsideration of the role played by climate. The small genetic divergence between chimpanzees and humans is greatly amplified at the morphological level, thus constituting the ‘human paradox’. This paradox is resolved by the economical and flexible evolutionary mechanism of mutations in regulator genes and the heterochronies they control, which are the true internal clocks of evolution. Changes in cranial morphology are quantified and used to analyse and explain the steps in the transition from g…

Karyological and dental identification of Microtus limnophilus in a large focus of alveolar echinococcosis (Gansu, China).

International audience; A study of voles (Arvicolidae, Rodentia) from Gansu (China) designed to identify a potential host of Echinococcus multilocularis, responsible for human alveolar echinococcosis, leads to a general analysis of Microtus limnophilus population karyotypes, M1 of M. oeconomus populations from all of Eurasia and of M. limnophilus of Mongolia. The Microtus of Gansu belonging to the nominal subspecies M. limnophilus limnophilus (2n = 38; NF = 58) differs markedly in size and shape of M1 from the M. limnophilus of Mongolia, which must therefore be considered as a new subspecies M. limnophilus of malygini nov. ssp. (2n = 38; NF = 60) and the M. oeconomus of Mongolia should be r…

Fractalité et histoire migratoire d’Homo sapiens

Resume L’homme moderne (Homo sapiens), originaire d’Afrique il y a moins de 150 000 ans environ, a effectue plusieurs migrations a l’interieur de ce continent et en dehors, ce qui lui a permis de coloniser la planete tout en se diversifiant genetiquement. Cette colonisation a ete etudiee par plusieurs specialistes et, en particulier, par L. Cavalli-Sforza qui l’a decrite par un arbre dendritique cladistique proche du diagramme de Feigenbaum, caracteristique des phenomenes de chaos deterministe. Cette similitude permet l’analyse de ce diagramme au moyen de lois fractales des systemes non lineaires qui demontrent une fois de plus l’importance des lois non lineaires dans l’evolution du vivant,…