Paleonet: Cambrian Explosion

[Graham E Budd]

The term "explosive evolution" is, however, much older than G.G. Simpson in the '40s.


For example, J Brookes Knight in 1930 suggests that the term "explosive evolution" is a coinage of Schuchert, although unfortunately he does not give a reference to this usage, and I have not been able to track it down further:

(https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1298025.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Adb36271c2fb002e53cde6a00dd0e5205).

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The oldest use of "explosive evolution" I have been able to find is in Ivor Thomas' monographs on British Productids in 1914, where he has a very interesting summary of current evolutionary ideas. In this (p. 246 ff) he says 8p. 256) that "The comparative rarity of "Productus" in Devonian times, the sudden appearance of vast numbers of representatives during the Carboniferous and Permo-Carboniferous periods and an equally sudden and complete disappearance at the close of Permian times, may be an instance of explosive evolution followed by a rapid decline". - suggesting that the idea was hardly a novelty at that time.



http://pubs.bgs.ac.uk/publications.html?pubID=B04254


Graham


________________________________
From: Paleonet <paleonet-bounces+graham.budd=pal.uu.se at paleonet.org> on behalf of Ellen Thomas <ellen.thomas at yale.edu>
Sent: Friday, February 26, 2021 10:08 PM
To: PaleoNet
Subject: Re: Paleonet: Cambrian Explosion

yes indeed, Baesecker et al. argued for a first use of 'explosive evolution ' by George Gaylord Simpson in 1944, morphing into Cambrian Explosion in Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS), 1961, High School Biology, Green Version, revised edition: Boulder, University of Colorado.
Ellen Thomas

On Fri, Feb 26, 2021 at 1:46 PM Brandt, Danita <brandt at msu.edu<mailto:brandt at msu.edu>> wrote:
See Beasecker, et al. 2020, GSA Today, v. 30, p. 26-27
First use we could find was in an experimental High School biology curriculum, 1961


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From: Paleonet <paleonet-bounces+brandt=msu.edu at paleonet.org<mailto:msu.edu at paleonet.org>> on behalf of Alexander Glass <alex.glass at duke.edu<mailto:alex.glass at duke.edu>>
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Subject: Paleonet: Cambrian Explosion


Does anyone know when the term “Cambrian Explosion” was first used and by whom?



Alexander Glass

Senior Lecturer

Co-Director of Undergraduate Studies

Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences

Nicholas School of the Environment

Duke University, Durham, NC



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