Sea sponges predate Cambrian explosion: Researchers

Q.  What is the Cambrian explosion?
- Published on 25 Feb 16

a. An evolutionary period that began 540 million years ago
b. A period when a large number of new animals appeared
c. Neither a nor b
d. Both a and b

ANSWER: Both a and b
 
The Cambrian explosion refers to an evolutionary period that began 540 million years ago when a huge number of new animal species emerged.  Sea sponges have been found to predate this explosion. MIT researchers found the right number of copies required of the SMT to produce molecule 24IPC a rare one, was only possessed by sea sponges long before algae, approximately 640 million years ago- the same time rocks containing 24-IPC were formed.

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