modern synthesis

English

Etymology

Coined by British evolutionary biologist, philosopher, author Julian Huxley in 1942, in his book Evolution: The Modern Synthesis.

Noun

modern synthesis (uncountable)

1. (biology, sometimes capitalized) The mathematical framework unifying Darwinian evolution and Mendelian heredity into a coherent theory.
   • 2018, Julia D. Sigwart, What Species Mean: A User's Guide to the Units of Biodiversity‎^[1], CRC Press, →ISBN:

     The core of the Modern Synthesis was to suggest that these observable processes, controlled by genes, explain the principles of variation and selection as laid out by Darwin: genetics underpin the mutability of species, and it is the nuts and bolts of descent with modification.

   • 2020, Martin Hähnel, editor, Aristotelian Naturalism: A Research Companion, Springer Nature, →ISBN, page 336:

     In other words, the Modern Synthesis simply abstracts away from the role of phenotypic variation. It explains evolutionary change solely in terms of genetic variation.