According to a 'law' formulated by E. D. Cope in 1871, the body size of organisms in a particular evolutionary lineage tends to increase. But Cope's rule has failed the most comprehensive test yet applied to it.
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Gould, S. Cope's rule as psychological artefact. Nature 385, 199–200 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/385199a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/385199a0
