News Finding: "In this study we've estimated that rates of both morphological and genetic evolution during the Cambrian explosion were five times faster than today -- quite rapid, but perfectly consistent with Darwin's theory of evolution."
Paper Finding: This study provides the first explicit estimates of rates of both phenotypic and molecular evolution during the Cambrian explosion, permitting illuminating comparisons with later Phanerozoic rates.
News Context: "In this study we've estimated that rates of both morphological and genetic evolution during the Cambrian explosion were five times faster than today -- quite rapid, but perfectly consistent with Darwin's theory of evolution." Their modelling showed that moderately accelerated evolution was sufficient to explain the seemingly sudden appearance of many groups of advanced animals in the fossil record during the Cambrian explosion. "It was during this Cambrian period that many of the most familiar traits associated with this group of animals evolved, like a hard exoskeleton, jointed legs, and compound (multi-faceted) eyes that are shared by all arthropods.
Paper Context: Phenotypic traits diverge at 1.17% pMyr in the early Cambrian, w83 the average rate for the remainder of the Phanerozoic (0.139% pMyr); molecular divergence is 0.204% pMyr, w93 the subsequent rate (0.021%). This study provides the first explicit estimates of rates of both phenotypic and molecular evolution during the Cambrian explosion, permitting illuminating comparisons with later Phanerozoic rates. The 4-and 5.5-fold increases in phenotypic and molecular evolutionary rates respectively provide quantitative support for the widespread view that evolutionary rates were elevated during the Cambrian explosion.