In 1972 Stanley developed the Predation Hypothesis to explain the evolution of novelties in the
Cambrian explosion. Stanley proposed that
predation stimulated prey animals to evolve defenses such as shells, rapid swimming, and burrowing. These strategies also opened
new avenues of evolution through functional shifts. Hard shells allowed for filter feeding, and deep burrowing allowed animals to gain new access to food resources.[4]
Stanley acted as a “personal editor” on several PNAS papers about the controversial
Younger Dryas impact hypothesis, starting with the original 2007 paper and continuing even after revelations of misconduct by a key contributor.[5] He admitted to a Nature reporter that “It has been very controversial… It’s my view that I should help to get this stuff published.”[6] The hypothesis was comprehensively refuted in 2023.[7]
Stanley, S. M. (1978). "
Chronospecies' longevities, the origin of genera, and the punctuational model of evolution." Paleobiology 4 (1): 26-40.
Stanley, S. M. (1979). Macroevolution: Pattern and Process. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman.
Stanley, S. M. (1981). The New Evolutionary Timetable. New York: Basic Books.
ISBN0-465-05013-1
Stanley, S. M. (1985). "Rates of evolution." Paleobiology 11 (1): 13-26.
Stanley, S. M. (1987). Extinction. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman.
Stanley, S. M. (1987). "The controversy over punctuational evolution." Geol. Soc. Amer. Abstr. with Progr. 19: 854.
Stanley, S. M. (1992). "The Empirical Case for the Punctuational Model of Evolution." In A. Somit and S. Peterson. The Dynamics of Evolution. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Stanley, S. M. (1996). Children of the Ice Age. New York: Harmony Books.