modern synthesis
modern synthesis noun: the mathematical framework unifying Darwinian evolution and Mendelian heredity into a coherent theory.
Noun
modern synthesis (uncountable)
- The mathematical framework unifying Darwinian evolution and Mendelian heredity into a coherent theory.
- 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.2018, Julia D. Sigwart, What Species Mean: A User's Guide to the Units of Biodiversity, CRC Press, →ISBN
- 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.2020, Martin Hähnel, editor, Aristotelian Naturalism: A Research Companion, Springer Nature, →ISBN, page 336
Origin of modern synthesis
Coined by British evolutionary biologist, philosopher, author Julian Huxley in 1942, in his book Evolution: The Modern Synthesis.
Questions about modern synthesis
- What does modern synthesis mean?
- Modern synthesis means the mathematical framework unifying Darwinian evolution and Mendelian heredity into a coherent theory.
- What part of speech is modern synthesis?
- Modern synthesis is a noun.
Words near modern synthesis in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: modern synthesis (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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