Almost all aspects of the synthesis have been challenged at times, with varying degrees of success. There is no doubt, however, that the synthesis was a great landmark in evolutionary biology. It cleared up many confusions, and was directly responsible for stimulating a great deal of research after WWII.
Several discoveries in earth sciences and biology have arisen since the synthesis. Listed here are some of those topics which are relevant to the evolutionary synthesis, and which seem soundly based.
The Earth is the stage on which the evolutionary play is performed. Darwin studied evolution in the context of Charles Lyell's geology, but we now know more historical geology.
Conclusion: Our present knowledge of earth history strongly suggests that large-scale geophysical events influenced macroevolution and megaevolution. These terms refer to evolution above the species level, including such events as mass extinction, adaptive radiation, and the major transitions in evolution.
Starting in the late 20th century scientists made excavations in parts of the world which had scarcely been investigated before. Also, there is fresh appreciation of fossils discovered in the 19th century, but not appreciated at the time. Many outstanding discoveries have been made, and some of these have implications for evolutionary theory.
Important work on genetics has led to a new approach to animal development. The field is called evolutionary developmental biology, or evo-devo for short.
There is clear proof that much of development is closely controlled by special genetic systems involving hox genes. In his Nobel Prize lecture, E.B. Lewis said "Ultimately, comparisons of the [control complexes] throughout the animal kingdom should provide a picture of how the organisms, as well as the [control genes] have evolved".
In 2000, a special section of the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" (PNAS) was devoted to evo-devo, and an entire 2005 issue of the "Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution" was devoted to the key evo-devo topics of evolutionary innovation and morphological novelty.
A survey of the field for the general reader gives examples.
Midfielder
A midfielder in football is a player who usually plays in the centre of the field. There are usually a number of midfielders in each team of football, and are normally split into three: attacking; central; and defending.
The midfielders are always the middle parts of the formation numbers, for example:
An 'attacking midfielder' is a midfielder who is often positioned between the central midfielders and the forwards. They often have a primarily offensive role. 'Playmakers' are a type of attacking midfielders.
Some famous Attacking Midfielders include Kaká, Diego Maradona, Zico, and Zinedine Zidane.
A 'winger' is a type of midfielder. They often join the strikers when the team creates attacks.'Wide Midfielders' are a variation of a winger.
Some famous Wingers include Neymar, Arjen Robben, Ronaldinho, and Lionel Messi
Forward
A Forward (or a Striker) is a football player who is the closest to the other team's goal. The forwards are the players that are known to score the most goals.
Coaches usually send a forward that scores all the goals ("the centre forward") and sends another forward that makes the assists ("second striker").
The attackers are normally the last part of the formation numbers, for example:
Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová (born April 24,1983) is a former Slovak professional tennis player. As of May 2016, she was ranked World No. 170 in women's singles tennis and 179th in doubles. In 2008, she reached the Australian Open semi-finals and has been ranked as World No. 5 for both women's singles and doubles. She played tennis for Slovakia in an international competition called the Fed Cup, and also in the Olympic Games.
As of her retirement from professional tennis in July, 2017, her winnings total more than million. She has worked with coaches from the Sanchez-Casal Academy, namely Angel Gimenez and Eduardo Nicolas. Her Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour mentor, Martina Navratilova, was also her doubles partner in early 2004. Outside tennis, she has modeled clothes and has been in some television advertisements.
Hantuchová's parents are both scientists. Her father, Igor Hantucha, is a computer science professor. Her mother, Mariane Hantuchová, is a toxicologist. Daniela was taught to play tennis by her grandmother, Helena, when she was six years old. Helena used to be a Slovakian national champion. Even though Daniela practiced a lot at tennis, she studied hard at school as well.
Hantuchová's parents were divorced in 2003. At the same time Hantuchová lost weight, and people became worried she was ill with anorexia. She said "I have proved that physically I don't have any problems."
Hantuchová speaks three languages (German, Slovak, and English), and can play the piano. She has several hobbies, such as skiing and ice skating. She has been in several advertisements on television, such as the campaign for Sony with Ana Ivanović in July 2006. Hantuchová has also been in Italian "Vogue" magazine, as a model. She now lives in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Hantuchová holds her racket in her right hand but uses both hands when playing backhand shots. She can hit the ball hard with both her forehand and backhand. She has a strong serve and can play well when close to the net. She is famous for her long legs which are long. Because she is so tall (), she can run a long way in a short amount of time, which also helps in returning shots, also adding power.
Hantuchová became a professional tennis player in 1989, when she was 15 years old. She started training in Florida, but still went back to Bratislava, Slovakia, to study. She won her first WTA tournament in 2000, a doubles title which she won in Bratislava. In 2001, she played her first Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open. Hantuchová lost in her first match in Australia to Russian player Anna Kournikova. However, she won the mixed doubles tournament, playing with Czech player Leos Friedl. Hantuchová won her second WTA doubles competition by winning with Russian player Elena Bovina in Luxembourg. She finished the year in the top 100, and was given an award by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for being the best new player in 2001.
In 2002, Hantuchová lost in the quarter-final of both the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open. However, playing with Zimbabwean Kevin Ullyett, she won the mixed doubles at the Australian Open. She also came second in the doubles in Australia, playing with Spanish player Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. She and Ullyett lost the mixed doubles final at Wimbledon in the same season. She did win her first singles WTA tournament, beating Swiss player Martina Hingis at the Masters tournament at Indian Wells in California. She also won two more WTA doubles tournaments, in Florida and Connecticut in the United States. Both times she won with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. Hantuchová finished the season in the top 10, and was given an award for being the most improved player in 2002 by the WTA. In January 2003, Hantuchová was the fifth best female tennis player in the world. As of June 2008, this is the best she has done. Later in 2003, she split up from her English coach, Nigel Sears.
Sears coached Hantuchová again in 2004 and in 2005, where she won the mixed doubles at the French Open and the US Open. This means she had won all four Grand Slam mixed doubles tournaments. In June 2005, she and Japanese player Ai Sugiyama won a WTA tour doubles tournament in Birmingham, England. The same pair came second in the doubles final at the French Open. Hantuchová won her sixth WTA doubles title with Russian player Anastasia Myskina in Germany in October 2004.