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Fossils Unearthed in Grand Canyon Reveal New Details of Evolutionary Explosion of Life
GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA, USA, JUL 23 – Researchers uncovered over 1,500 exceptionally preserved Cambrian fossils revealing diverse animal adaptations and evolutionary innovation during a period of rapid development, study says.
- A team from the University of Cambridge uncovered remarkably well-preserved Cambrian-era fossils during a 2023 research trip navigating the Colorado River within the Grand Canyon.
- The fossils, found in the Grand Canyon, originate from a period approximately 502 to 507 million years in the past, within a uniquely favorable "Goldilocks zone" that fostered rapid evolutionary development during the Cambrian explosion.
- Most fossils are priapulid worms including a newly named species, Kraytdraco spectatus, which had complex teeth enabling efficient feeding in an oxygen-rich, shallow marine environment.
- Giovanni Mussini noted that animals were driven to develop sophisticated and resource-intensive adaptations to maintain an advantage, with environmental conditions supporting these evolutionary advancements.
- This discovery fills a notable Cambrian fossil gap in the Grand Canyon and suggests ecological competition accelerated evolutionary innovation during this pivotal period.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Evolution ran wild 500 million years ago in the friendly waters of the Grand Canyon, study suggests
Paleontologists unearthed fossils in the Grand Canyon dating back more than 500 million years that offer a new look into a time when complex life emerged on Earth.
Grand Canyon Gives Up New Species From 'Goldilocks Zone'
A previously unknown species of penis worm navigated what's now the Grand Canyon half a billion years ago—making up part of a fascinating, first-of-its-kind discovery at the iconic US site. By dissolving fist-size rocks discovered along the Colorado River within the canyon, researchers led by the University of Cambridge...
Treasure trove of half-billion-year-old animal fossils found in Grand Canyon
Fossils of some of Earth’s earliest animals have been found in one of the world’s most spectacular sites: North America’s Grand Canyon. The fossils date to between 507 and 502 million years ago (mya) in the middle of the Cambrian period which lasted from 541 to 485 mya. The Cambrian saw an evolutionary “explosion” with all the basic body types seen in modern animals first appearing in Earth’s ancient seas during this period. It’s the first time …
Stunning Grand Canyon Fossils Reveal Evolution's Weird Experiments
A stunning new fossil find from the Grand Canyon fills in some blanks from a time when evolution began experimenting with weird new forms. About half a billion years ago, life on Earth really started cooking in an event we now call the Cambrian explosion. The fossil record from that time reveals a spike in bizarre, complex creatures appearing within a relatively short amount of time, laying the roots for most of the major animal groups that exis…
Fossil discovery reveals the Grand Canyon was a 'Goldilocks zone' for the evolution of early animals
A treasure trove of exceptionally preserved early animals from more than half a billion years ago has been discovered in the Grand Canyon, one of the natural world's most iconic sites.
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