Confirmation that bryozoan animals were present during the Cambrian explosion

10 June 2026

Bryozoans are marine invertebrates that live in colonies and have long been considered absent from the Cambrian explosion — a rapid evolutionary event that began around 538 million years ago. Newly discovered fossils from the Cambrian period reveal that the bryozoan phylum had already diversified by this time.

This is a summary of: Song, B. et al. High-fidelity modular skeletons authenticate a Cambrian origin for Bryozoa. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10590-9 (2026).

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