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Molecular clocks: Defusing the Cambrian ‘explosion’?

Current BiologyPublished 1 February 1997Open access
Simon Conway Morris
Citations52
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score2.71
SNIP1.83
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TL;DR

A recent molecular phylogenetic study argues against the orthodox view that metazoan phyla emerged abruptly during the Cambrian ‘explosion', pointing instead to a protracted history for metazoans that arguably stretches back a billion years or more.

Abstract

A recent molecular phylogenetic study argues against the orthodox view that metazoan phyla emerged abruptly during the Cambrian 'explosion', pointing instead to a protracted history for metazoans that arguably stretches back a billion years or more; the fossils, however, seem to tell a different story.

Keywords

Agricultural and Biological SciencesEarth and Planetary SciencesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology