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end3r7
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Just curious on the most recent theories to explain Biology's Big Bang (and the evolution-haters weapon of choice).
Yes, I believe evolutionists would agree with this picture. Note that the competition level tend to descend from between kingdoms, phyla, and genera, to between species. And in addition to providing new niches, other organisms provide new threats (e.g. virus), which are a further spur to evolution, and a further synergy (Red Queen's Race).MRC_Hans said:Personally, I think a sort of synergy effect might have been at play. New species were appearing in the relative biotopical vacuum of early Earth. New species made for new niches and food-chains, which offered yet new opportunities for more species, etc, etc. All in an environment where the competition was limited, compared to later eras.
In later eras, most new species needed to wedge their way into an already crowded and fiercely competitive "marketplace".
You might compare it with the .com rage a decade or so ago: Anybody that could make a computer do something, or could put anything vaguely useful on the internet could do business.
Hans
chance said:Just floating around in the ocean unprotected is a thing of the past.
The Cambrian Explosion refers to a period of rapid diversification of animal life that occurred approximately 540 million years ago during the Cambrian period. It is characterized by the sudden appearance of a wide variety of complex and diverse organisms in the fossil record.
The exact cause of the Cambrian Explosion is still debated among scientists. Some hypotheses include changes in the Earth's environment and climate, the evolution of new genetic regulatory mechanisms, and the emergence of new ecological niches.
The Cambrian Explosion is estimated to have lasted for about 20-25 million years, which is relatively short in geological time. However, the majority of the diversification occurred in the first 10 million years of this period.
Many major animal groups first appeared during the Cambrian Explosion, including arthropods, mollusks, chordates, and echinoderms. This period also saw the emergence of complex ecosystems and the development of hard body parts, such as shells and exoskeletons.
The Cambrian Explosion is often used as evidence for the theory of evolution, as it demonstrates the rapid diversification and evolution of complex organisms. It also supports the idea that new genetic information and adaptations can arise relatively quickly in response to environmental changes.