Deep TimeLife & Evolution

Cambrian Explosion

538 million years agoTurning point

Most major animal body plans appear in a geologic eyeblink, including eyes, shells and the ancestors of vertebrates.

Longest chain: The Big Bang → First stars ignite → Supernovae seed heavy elements → The Sun forms → Earth forms → First oceans → First life → Photosynthesis evolves → Great Oxidation Event → Complex cells (eukaryotes) → Multicellular life → First animals → Cambrian Explosion

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Cambrian explosion (Britannica) ↗