Biomineralized skeletons are widespread in animals, and their origins can be traced to the
latest Ediacaran or early Cambrian fossil record, in virtually all animal groups. The origin of …

Proper biological interpretation of a phylogeny can sometimes hinge on the placement of
key taxa—or fail when such key taxa are not sampled. In this light, we here present the first …

The origin of motility in bilaterian animals represents an evolutionary innovation that
transformed the Earth system. This innovation probably occurred in the late Ediacaran …

The animal phyla and their associated body plans originate from a singular burst of
evolution occurring during the Cambrian period, over 500 million years ago. The phylum …

Among extant animals, Lophotrochozoa accounts for the majority of phyla. 1 This bilaterian
clade radiated rapidly during the Cambrian explosion, obfuscating its phylogenetic …

The phylogenetic position of hyoliths has long been unsettled, with recent discoveries of a
tentaculate feeding apparatus ('lophophore') and fleshy apical extensions from the shell …

Hyoliths are a taxonomically problematic group of Palaeozoic lophotrochozoans that are
among the first shelly fossils to appear in the Cambrian period. On the basis of their …

Exceptionally well‐preserved impressions of two bundles of bristles protrude from the
apertures of small, spiral shells of Pelagiella exigua, recovered from the Kinzers Formation …

The origin of Bryozoa has long been an intriguing mystery, largely due to the dearth of
unambiguous bryozoan fossils within Cambrian strata. The earliest bryozoan thus far …

Hyoliths were among the earliest biomineralizing metazoans in Palaeozoic marine
environments. They have been known for two centuries and widely assigned to …