“If the neck of the giraffe elongates an inch at a time, then the full panoply of supporting structures need not arise at every step. The coordinated adaptation can be built piecemeal. Some animals may slightly elongate the neck, others the legs; still others may develop stronger neck muscles. By sexual reproduction, the favorable features of different organisms may be combined in offspring.”

—  Stephen Jay Gould , book Leonardo's Mountain of Clams and the Diet of Worms

"The Tallest Tale", p. 310
Leonardo's Mountain of Clams and the Diet of Worms (1998)

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Stephen Jay Gould 274
American evolutionary biologist 1941–2002

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Stephen Jay Gould book Leonardo's Mountain of Clams and the Diet of Worms

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Stephen Jay Gould book Leonardo's Mountain of Clams and the Diet of Worms

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Stephen Jay Gould book Leonardo's Mountain of Clams and the Diet of Worms

…The version has held ever since.
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Leonardo's Mountain of Clams and the Diet of Worms (1998)

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