The Cambrian period, often celebrated for the “Cambrian explosion”, marked a pivotal phase in the history of life when early arthropods emerged and rapidly diversified. These organisms not only ...

New research provides the clearest evidence yet that the Cambrian explosion—a rapid burst of evolution 540 million years ago, could have been triggered by only a small increase in oxygen levels in ...

Palaeontologists are helping resolve the evolution and ecology of Odaraia, a taco-shaped marine animal that lived during the Cambrian period. Fossils reveal Odaraia had mandibles. Palaeontologists are ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Over 500 million years ago, a taco-shaped marine organism named ...

An illustration of the taco-shaped Odaraia, which researchers say likely swam upside-down and trapped prey in its spine-covered legs. Danielle Dufault, Royal Ontario Museum Around 540 million years ...

Fossils of a tiny sea creature that lived 525 million years ago have preserved something paleontologists rarely find: a brain. The specimen, a worm-like animal called Cardiodictyon catenulum recovered ...

The Cambrian explosion was an extraordinary phenomenon in the evolution of life on the planet that led to the emergence of many animal phyla and the diversification of species. During this period, ...

An international research team has made a notable discovery of fossil embryos belonging to Ecdysozoa, a diverse group of animals including roundworms, velvet worms, insects, and crabs. These fossils, ...

An international team of scientists has uncovered a fascinating piece of the evolutionary puzzle: how the ventral nerve cord, a key component of the central nervous system, evolved in ecdysozoan ...

Fig.1: Tempo and mode in the body size evolution of Cambrian-Ordovician trilobites. Changes in maximum size (red) and mean size (blue) for each time slice, with lines and shading representing the mean ...