The Theory of Evolution and the Cambrian Explosion

CACTUSJACKmankin · #11 15th September 2007, 01:30 AM

Originally Posted by TouchedByGod121

According to Evolutionary Theory, all life on Earth are descended from, and can be traced back to a common ancestor. As time passed, slowly beneficial mutations accumulated in organisms that allow them to survive longer and successfully reproduce more efficiently than it's predecessors. Evolutionary Theory supposedly accounts for the diversity of animal life around us, including homo sapien sapiens.

However, there is an interesting occurrence that seems to cause skepticism of this theory; a phenomenon known as the Cambrian Explosion. The Cambrian Explosion was an event that occurred 530 Million years ago. Before that time, life was simple, mainly comprised of single celled organisms, occasionally organized in colonies, however after this explosion took place the diversity of life increased by an extremely large magnitude, and life began to more resemble today's. The majority of the phyla that exist today seemed to have their beginnings in the Cambrian Explosion.

These organisms however, seem to defy the slow-paced process of evolution. Something commonly touted by Evolutionists, the fossil record, doesn't seem to show gradual transition when it comes to the Cambrian Explosion. There don't seem to be many fossils that show transitions from the simple pre-Cambrian Explosion organisms, to the diverse, more complex Cambrian Explosion organisms. How is this possible?

The simple answer is that these organisms did not evolve from smaller organisms, they were Created by a Creator.

(NOTE: I just began researching Creationism and the Theory of Evolution recently, so my information is quite incomplete, and therefore inaccurate. So when you make claims or provide evidence, then can you provide links if possible? I really do want to learn if my arguments are flawed, so that I can improve my understanding.)

Creationists, it is hypocritical to reject all of the fossil evidence that points to millions of years of change from one form to another and then use the fossil evidence of the Cambrian explosion to support your beliefs. Either fossil evidence is reliable or it's not.
As has been previously explained, explosion and sudden in this sense are in geologic time which equates to millions of years.

This does however highlight a legitimate discussion within evolutionary science that you sort of alluded to and that concerns the rate of evolution. Darwin believed that evolution was slow and gradual. the fossil record however shows several periods of a lot of new taxa in a relatively short (geologically speaking) time. This idea of relative constant rate of change being interrupted by sudden spikes of change is referred to as punctuated equilibrium. In the aftermath of a major disaster (the dino's asteroid) or an evolutionary innovation (complexity that lead to the cambrian) there is a host of unexploited ecological niches and the new or remaining forms scramble to fill those niches.

Allister · #12 15th September 2007, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by Wiccan_Child

the Cambrian Explosion is a pet hobby of mine.

Was the Cambrian Explosion an effect of the melting of the Snowball Earth scenario?

Wiccan_Child · #13 15th September 2007, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by Allister

Was the Cambrian Explosion an effect of the melting of the Snowball Earth scenario?

I believe so. The plethora of niches that would have became viable after such a scenario would certainly account for the rapid diversification of the Cambrian. Indeed, when one considers the multiple ice-ages Earth has experianced, this scenario may also explain the other Explosive diversification.
It may also be the case that the Explosion(s) could only occur after such a thawing. Hmm, I must ponder...