Paleontological

History of life

Paleontological discoveries have discussed the origins and history of life for centuries, with very little knowledge of life before the Cambrian for a significant amount of time. Fossils from prior to the Cambrian were limited to 2.1 billion year old fossilized algae and possibly "plants" until the discoveries of fauna in the Bitter Springs Group and Apex chert of Australia, the Mistaken Point Formation of Canada, and the Doushantuo Formation of China, all of which have significantly expanded knowledge of the Ediacaran biota that includes a range of life from microscopic single-celled organisms to macroscopic multicellular life. Fossil discoveries have also improved knowledge about the Cambrian explosion with the discoveries of multiple new lagerstätte deposits. The Burgess Shale was one of the first such deposits and has been further explored, and around 40 other Burgess-type localities are now known globally. These localities are filled with soft-bodied taxa that show the decline of the Ediacaran biota and the emergence of other kinds of metazoan life. The refinement of Cambrian stratigraphy will also improve the understanding of these early faunas and how they changed over time.