Cambrian explosion modern animal types fossil record

Most major animal body types appear in a short burst of the fossil record

~10 million years

During the Cambrian explosion, most major kinds of modern animal body plans appeared in the fossil record within roughly 10 million years. That sounds long, but it is a short period compared with Earth's billions of years of life.

Making AI more efficient may not reduce its total environmental cost

If AI needs less energy for each task, using it becomes cheaper. People may then use much more of it. The extra use can cancel some or all of the environmental savings from making each individual task more efficient.

Life deep underground can get energy from rock

2,400 m

Organisms found 2,400 meters below Earth's surface can survive without sunlight by using chemical reactions involving minerals such as pyrite. Deep underground, rock and its chemicals can provide the energy needed for an ecosystem.

Like this? There’s a whole feed of it. Replace empty scrolling with things worth knowing.

Download Hence for free

Cambrian explosion modern animal types fossil record

Most major animal body types appear in a short burst of the fossil record

Keep exploring