Wow, I simply wanted to introduce this video, with a few comments aimed at Holmes’ opening statements in his campaign of disparagement. Turned into more, so I’ll save it for another place, a leave the rest to the wonderful Dr. Smith.
How do we get from a simple worm to all this complexity?
September 30, 2019
Martin Smith - Origins Ecdysozoan Body Plans - What a scientist sounds like.https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2019/09/martin-smith-origins-ecdysozoan-body.html
Can we say that the Cambrian epoch consisted only of unchecked bio-chemical growth without “natural selection”. That came later with competition and predation.
You know in a certain way I think you can.
It started with huge expanses of microbial mats covering the ocean floor, then first critters here and there depending on local conditions figured out how to eat the stuff and the race was on. Ecology, that is the chemical environment and genetic evolution allowed critters to form and thrive, then divide and thrive. Then the microbial mats started getting used up, and food was getting harder to find and someone figure out that thing swimming by also tastes pretty good, nutritious too …
That’s what the Cambrian revolution seems to have been about, that second phase when animals figured out how to eat other animals, obviously the nice oblivious grazers of the Ediacaran had no defenses and for the most part evolved into something newer and better or were eaten up by what figured it out.
By and by that generation, we could call them the Ediacaran alumni - either changed into something smarter and faster or more stealthy, or got eaten up by bigger and smarter - welcome to the Devonian. and so on and so forth.
