Learn more about a time period marked by an intense burst of evolution. 3 min read The Cambrian period, part of the Paleozoic era, produced the most intense burst of evolution ever known.

All animal evolution for the last half billion years has come from tinkering with these Cambrian body plans. Then, between about 570 and 530 million years ago, another burst of diversification ...

FROM 508 MILLION YEARS AGO TO TODAYPreserved in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia, the worm Canadia spinosa was part of an explosion in biodiversity during the Cambrian period that gave birth ...

Something dramatic happened about 500 million years ago called the Cambrian "explosion," during which an incredible diversity ...

All animal evolution for the last half billion years has come from tinkering with these Cambrian body plans. Then, between about 570 and 530 million years ago, another burst of diversification ...