Strange frond-like sea creatures are among the planet's earliest animals, but new research dates them and the entire animal kingdom to much earlier than first thought.
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Articles on Cambrian explosion
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New research suggests life on Earth became more diverse because of a change in biology related to stem cells, not just rising oxygen levels.
With no identifiable body parts, it's hard to know how these fossilized creatures lived. A new approach models how the ocean's water would interact with their unique shapes – hinting at their lifestyle.
Were legs a quirk of genetic mutation rather than an evolutionary inevitability?
Uncovering the monsters of the prehistoric deep.
The rise and fall of the essential elements for life could have influenced the way life evolved over many millions of years.
There's a lot more to palaeontology than just dinosaurs, as these incredible lifeforms demonstrate.
In a recent paper in Nature, we described a strange marine animal, called Tamisiocaris. They were giants that swam in the oceans over 500 million years ago. They had strange looking appendages on their…
The sudden appearance of a range of modern animals about half a billion years ago, during evolution’s “big bang”, has intrigued and puzzled generations of biologists from Charles Darwin onwards. A new…
Top contributors
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Professor in Evolutionary Biology (jointly appointed with South Australian Museum), Flinders University
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John Long is a Friend of The Conversation.
Strategic Professor in Palaeontology, Flinders University
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Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in Palaeontology, Durham University
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Distinguished Professor of Geology, University of Tasmania
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Professor of Paleontology, Durham University
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Research Support Officer (Communications and Events), University of Leeds
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Lecturer in macroevolution, University of Bristol
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Merit Researcher, Natural History Museum
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Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University
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Junior Research Fellow, University of Oxford
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Visiting Researcher in Geobiology, University of Southern Denmark
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Visiting Researcher in Palaeobiology, University of Cambridge
