In biology there are two schools of thought on how all life evolves. Evolution either occurs gradually over time, gradualism, or undergoes rapid changes over a short period of time separated by intermitted stages of little change, punctuated equilibrium. These two opposing theories are different in there methods; yet ultimately achieve the same goal. While normally reserved for discussing biological system these theories can also be applied to environmental changes.
In Rebecca Solnits Savage Dreams, the book is separated into two sections. The first being a history of nuclear testing, and subsequent protesting, in the American west, while the second section returns us to Yosemite and the history of American imperialism over its native population.
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While events such as meteors hitting earth, catastrophic volcanic eruptions, and land shaping glaciation are all alter life and the earth in tremendous ways, the human species has yet to encounter one of these phenomena on a large scale. Regardless, the detonation of an atomic bomb is followed by a plague never before seen by life on earth: radiation. The physical detonation of the bombs did leave there scars on the earths crust and actually caused seismic waves which could be detected around the world, but the real mechanism behind this punctuated equilibrium was the radiation. While all life requires radiation to survive, heat and sunlight are forms of radiation; the star like conditions formed at the moment of detonated release over 150 different types of radioactive isotopes. Most of these isotopes had never been observed before, and thus scientists where unaware how the functioned, outside of there theoretical models. One of the postulates of punctuated equilibrium is that genetic mutations occur in offspring, which are not present in parents, yet are subsequently passed on the offspring’s