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.

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 ...

This animation created for Evolution: "Great Transformations" depicts creatures whose fossils were found at the Burgess Shale. As alien as these creatures seem, they are also surprisingly familiar.

This daily feast-and-famine cycle in oxygen availability created an intense physiological challenge for early animals, ...

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

This animation created for Evolution: "Great Transformations" depicts creatures whose fossils were found at the Burgess Shale. As alien as these creatures seem, they are also surprisingly familiar.