"But larvae are so tiny and fragile, the chances of finding one fossilised are practically zero — or so I thought!" Related: Stunning 3D images show anatomy of 500 million-year-old Cambrian ...

Hailing from the Cambrian period some 520 million years ago, the larva represents a whole new genus and species of euarthropod called Youti yuanshi. Such a small speck of rock might be easily ...

Learn more about a time period marked by an intense burst of evolution. 3 min read The Cambrian period, part of the Paleozoic era, produced the most intense burst of evolution ever known.

All animal evolution for the last half billion years has come from tinkering with these Cambrian body plans. Then, between about 570 and 530 million years ago, another burst of diversification ...

With its muscular tail, the larva swims about for a few days until ... Arthropods were the most diverse animal group in the Cambrian period and the Ordovician period that followed.