The Cambrian "explosion": slow-fuse or megatonnage?
Clearly, the fossil record from the Cambrian period is an invaluable tool for deciphering animal evolution. Less clear, however, is how to integrate the paleontological information with molecular phylogeny and developmental biology data. Equally challenging is answering why the Cambrian period provided such a rich interval for the redeployment of genes that led to more complex body plans.
Conway Morris
S
S
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, United Kingdom. sc113@esc.cam.ac.uk
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D015509:Developmental Biology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005580:Fossils; D010163:Paleontology / Q000379:methods; D010802:Phylogeny