Cambrian Explosion

The Cambrian Explosion is one of the most fascinating epochs in evolution. In a relatively short evolutionary period of just a few million years, a wide variety of animal forms with skeletons emerged. Since then, many fossils can be found in the rock layers, originating from ancestors without skeletons, of which there are only a few fossils. This gives the impression of a "explosive" development of life.

What triggered this rapid transition is still somewhat debated, but the emergence of feeding mechanisms, armor, sensory organs, and nervous systems suggests that it was likely related to the dynamics of "eating and being eaten." The rising oxygen levels at that time also played a role, as they allowed for the development of larger body sizes.

The evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould wrote a very engaging book about the discovery and interpretation of the Cambrian Explosion. In German, it is published under the title *Zufall Mensch. Das Wunder des Lebens als Spiel der Natur* (Carl Hanser Verlag).

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