in our time s7 21 the cambrian period feb 17 2005
melvyn bragg and guests discuss the cambrian period when there was an explosion of life on earth. in the selkirk mountains of british columbia in canada, there is an outcrop of limestone shot through with a seam of fine dark shale. a sudden mudslide into shallow water some 550 million years ago means that a startling array of wonderful organisms has been preserved within it. wide eyed creatures with tentacles below and spines on their backs, things like flattened rolls of carpet with a set of teeth at one end, squids with big lobster-like arms. there are thousands of them and they seem to testify to a time when evolution took a leap and life on this planet suddenly went from being small, simple and fairly rare to being large, complex, numerous and dizzyingly diverse. it happened in the cambrian period and it's known as the cambrian explosion.but if this is the great crucible of life on earth, what could have caused it? how do the strange creatures relate to life as we see it now? and what does the cambrian explosion tell us about the nature of evolution?
with simon conway morris, professor of evolutionary palaeobiology, cambridge university; richard corfield, visiting senior lecturer at the centre for earth, planetary, space and astronomical research, open university; jane francis, professor of palaeoclimatology, university of leeds.
melvyn bragg and guests discuss the cambrian period when there was an explosion of life on earth. in the selkirk mountains of british columbia in canada, there is an outcrop of limestone shot through with a seam of fine dark shale. a sudden mudslide into shallow water some 550 million years ago means that a startling array of wonderful organisms has been preserved within it. wide eyed creatures with tentacles below and spines on their backs, things like flattened rolls of carpet with a set of teeth at one end, squids with big lobster-like arms. there are thousands of them and they seem to testify to a time when evolution took a leap and life on this planet suddenly went from being small, simple and fairly rare to being large, complex, numerous and dizzyingly diverse. it happened in the cambrian period and it's known as the cambrian explosion.but if this is the great crucible of life on earth, what could have caused it? how do the strange creatures relate to life as we see it now? and what does the cambrian explosion tell us about the nature of evolution?with simon conway morris, professor of evolutionary palaeobiology, cambridge university; richard corfield, visiting senior lecturer at the centre for earth, planetary, space and astronomical research, open university; jane francis, professor of palaeoclimatology, university of leeds. private lives of the tudors episode 2 hd 1280x72 britain s bloodiest dynasty betrayal part 1 of 4 the plantagenets documentary timeline ark walking with dinosaurs cinematic planet ark ep 06 finale how henry iii and simon de montfort s started a civil war britain s bloodiest dynasty timeline bbc documentary the black death bbc documentary civilisation man the measure of all things 04 of 13 civilisation episode 10 the smile of reason bbc series frederick the great bbc documentary the seven wonders of the world bbc documentary in our time s7 21 the cambrian period feb 17 2005 in our time s24 05 the polish lithuanian commonwealth oct 14 2021 bbc documentary surviving 9 11 ep 8 special live clip empire episode 4 making a fortune jeremy paxman bbc documentary empire with subtitles ep 7 eternal sunshine ep 6 crystal clear ed kemper interview 1984 1 2 dennis rader b t k full documentary films the most intelligent serial killer crime documentary dennis rader btk killer serial killer documentary hollywood s most horrifying murders full documentary ed kemper interview 1991 extended 10 facts about serial killer edmund kemper the co ed killer russell williams above suspicion the fifth estate true crime canada inside the mark twitchell case 90 women killed by gary ridgway the prostitute killer btk confession full version a killer among us inside the hunt for an alaska serial killer serial killer the jacksonville cannibal documentary interview with a serial killer arthur shawcross full documentary internet slave master 2011 serial killer john edward robinson ep 5 high noon ian brady endgames of a psychopath the grindr serial killer stephen port s murders charles ng and leonard lake the torture bunker duo from hell serial killer crime documentary ep 4 rise again ep 3 daybreak his name was arthur leigh allen serial killers documentaries episodes murderous minds ted bundy serial killer documentary joachim kroll the duisberg cannibal monster of florence serial killer keith hunter jesperson aka the happy face killer crime documentary doctor death britain s worst serial killer true crime documentary real stories ep 2 eclipse exclusive interview with btk killer ivan milat the backpack killer deranged killers charles whitman 2009 murderous minds dr harold shipman serial killer documentary a daughter s justice 2014 serial killer documentary ep 1 the midnight sun taeyang documentary 白夜 white night trailer mazda miata documentaries nd ep5 final chapter mazda miata documentaries nc ep4 forcing change mazda miata documentaries nb ep3 slow evolution mazda miata documentaries ep2 1989 the first na miata mazda miata documentary ep1 why the miata exists killers john william cooper the game show killer testing the 2019 miata and cup race car thestraightpipes included simon cowell s top golden buzzer moments part 1 agt 2022 golden buzzer chapel hart wows the judges with original you can have him jolene agt 2022 private lives of the tudors episode 2 hd 1280x72 britain s bloodiest dynasty betrayal part 1 of 4 the plantagenets documentary timeline ark walking with dinosaurs cinematic planet ark ep 06 finale how henry iii and simon de montfort s started a civil war britain s bloodiest dynasty timeline bbc documentary the black death bbc documentary civilisation man the measure of all things 04 of 13 civilisation episode 10 the smile of reason bbc series frederick the great bbc documentary the seven wonders of the world bbc documentary in our time s7 21 the cambrian period feb 17 2005 in our time s24 05 the polish lithuanian commonwealth oct 14 2021 bbc documentary surviving 9 11 ep 8 special live clip empire episode 4 making a fortune jeremy paxman bbc documentary empire with subtitles ep 7 eternal sunshine ep 6 crystal clear ed kemper interview 1984 1 2 dennis rader b t k full documentary films the most intelligent serial killer crime documentary dennis rader btk killer serial killer documentary hollywood s most horrifying murders full documentary ed kemper interview 1991 extended 10 facts about serial killer edmund kemper the co ed killer russell williams above suspicion the fifth estate true crime canada inside the mark twitchell case 90 women killed by gary ridgway the prostitute killer btk confession full version a killer among us inside the hunt for an alaska serial killer serial killer the jacksonville cannibal documentary interview with a serial killer arthur shawcross full documentary internet slave master 2011 serial killer john edward robinson ep 5 high noon ian brady endgames of a psychopath the grindr serial killer stephen port s murders charles ng and leonard lake the torture bunker duo from hell serial killer crime documentary ep 4 rise again ep 3 daybreak his name was arthur leigh allen serial killers documentaries episodes murderous minds ted bundy serial killer documentary joachim kroll the duisberg cannibal monster of florence serial killer keith hunter jesperson aka the happy face killer crime documentary doctor death britain s worst serial killer true crime documentary real stories ep 2 eclipse exclusive interview with btk killer ivan milat the backpack killer deranged killers charles whitman 2009 murderous minds dr harold shipman serial killer documentary a daughter s justice 2014 serial killer documentary ep 1 the midnight sun taeyang documentary 白夜 white night trailer mazda miata documentaries nd ep5 final chapter mazda miata documentaries nc ep4 forcing change mazda miata documentaries nb ep3 slow evolution mazda miata documentaries ep2 1989 the first na miata mazda miata documentary ep1 why the miata exists killers john william cooper the game show killer testing the 2019 miata and cup race car thestraightpipes included simon cowell s top golden buzzer moments part 1 agt 2022 golden buzzer chapel hart wows the judges with original you can have him jolene agt 2022 private lives of the tudors episode 2 hd 1280x72 britain s bloodiest dynasty betrayal part 1 of 4 the plantagenets documentary timeline ark walking with dinosaurs cinematic planet ark ep 06 finale how henry iii and simon de montfort s started a civil war britain s bloodiest dynasty timeline bbc documentary the black death bbc documentary civilisation man the measure of all things 04 of 13 civilisation episode 10 the smile of reason bbc series frederick the great bbc documentary the seven wonders of the world bbc documentary in our time s7 21 the cambrian period feb 17 2005 in our time s24 05 the polish lithuanian commonwealth oct 14 2021 bbc documentary surviving 9 11 ep 8 special live clip empire episode 4 making a fortune jeremy paxman bbc documentary empire with subtitles ep 7 eternal sunshine ep 6 crystal clear ed kemper interview 1984 1 2 dennis rader b t k full documentary films the most intelligent serial killer crime documentary dennis rader btk killer serial killer documentary hollywood s most horrifying murders full documentary ed kemper interview 1991 extended 10 facts about serial killer edmund kemper the co ed killer russell williams above suspicion the fifth estate true crime canada inside the mark twitchell case 90 women killed by gary ridgway the prostitute killer btk confession full version a killer among us inside the hunt for an alaska serial killer serial killer the jacksonville cannibal documentary interview with a serial killer arthur shawcross full documentary internet slave master 2011 serial killer john edward robinson ep 5 high noon ian brady endgames of a psychopath the grindr serial killer stephen port s murders charles ng and leonard lake the torture bunker duo from hell serial killer crime documentary ep 4 rise again ep 3 daybreak his name was arthur leigh allen serial killers documentaries episodes murderous minds ted bundy serial killer documentary joachim kroll the duisberg cannibal monster of florence serial killer keith hunter jesperson aka the happy face killer crime documentary doctor death britain s worst serial killer true crime documentary real stories ep 2 eclipse exclusive interview with btk killer ivan milat the backpack killer deranged killers charles whitman 2009 murderous minds dr harold shipman serial killer documentary a daughter s justice 2014 serial killer documentary ep 1 the midnight sun taeyang documentary 白夜 white night trailer mazda miata documentaries nd ep5 final chapter mazda miata documentaries nc ep4 forcing change mazda miata documentaries nb ep3 slow evolution mazda miata documentaries ep2 1989 the first na miata mazda miata documentary ep1 why the miata exists killers john william cooper the game show killer testing the 2019 miata and cup race car thestraightpipes included simon cowell s top golden buzzer moments part 1 agt 2022 golden buzzer chapel hart wows the judges with original you can have him jolene agt 2022 melvyn bragg and guests discuss the cambrian period when there was an explosion of life on earth. in the selkirk mountains of british columbia in canada, there is an outcrop of limestone shot through with a seam of fine dark shale. a sudden mudslide into shallow water some 550 million years ago means that a startling array of wonderful organisms has been preserved within it. wide eyed creatures with tentacles below and spines on their backs, things like flattened rolls of carpet with a set of teeth at one end, squids with big lobster-like arms. there are thousands of them and they seem to testify to a time when evolution took a leap and life on this planet suddenly went from being small, simple and fairly rare to being large, complex, numerous and dizzyingly diverse. it happened in the cambrian period and it's known as the cambrian explosion.but if this is the great crucible of life on earth, what could have caused it? how do the strange creatures relate to life as we see it now? and what does the cambrian explosion tell us about the nature of evolution?
with simon conway morris, professor of evolutionary palaeobiology, cambridge university; richard corfield, visiting senior lecturer at the centre for earth, planetary, space and astronomical research, open university; jane francis, professor of palaeoclimatology, university of leeds.