Why the Cambrian explosion may look faster than it really was

The Cambrian explosion may look faster than it really was

Part of the Cambrian explosion's apparent speed may come from the way we look at surviving groups. Animal groups that survive for a very long time can appear to have spread into many forms especially quickly near the start of their history, even without an unusual burst in the underlying rate.

Archerfish shape water jets into blobs

An archerfish sends water through its mouth as a jet. The faster-moving rear catches up with the slower front, forming a blob just before impact. The fish can vary this effect for targets at different distances.

A Greek tragedy portrayed a recent defeat

Aeschylus’s play *The Persians* showed the Persian response to defeat at Salamis, just eight years earlier. Most Greek tragedies drew on mythology, making this the earliest surviving drama about recent history.

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Why the Cambrian explosion may look faster than it really was

The Cambrian explosion may look faster than it really was

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