What does punctuated mean science terms?

Answer 1

It is believed that the process of biological evolution proceeds by means of what is described as punctuated equilibrium. That is to say, a species can be unchanging or relatively unchanging for very long periods of time, and then can change in a relatively short period of time. So it progresses, but it has pauses. There is a rhythm to evolution, much as punctuation is used to indicate the rhythm of a sentence.