Neoteny and Evolutionary Strategy: Reconsidering Developmental Arrest in the Axolotl and the Olm
Martine Mussies · 2026
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Description
Martine Mussies re-reads, in 2026, two amphibians that never grow up: the axolotl and the cave-dwelling olm. Both keep larval traits for life and breed in that state. Older views cast such arrest as failure. Mussies argues it is a working life strategy shaped by steady, narrow homes. Hormone control of change, growth timing, and life history all feed the case.
Trait loss in the olm, such as eyes, can also be read as fit, not decay. The essay joins lab growth science with field life history. It warns against ranking life paths on a ladder of progress. Such rankings, Mussies says, warp how biologists judge odd species.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Martine Mussies |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 63443 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |