[metmom]

While the precise mechanism of the origin of life on earth remains unknown, once life arose, the process of evolution and natural selection permitted the development of biological diversity and complexity over very long periods of time,

So where does the Cambrian explosion come in? Granted long periods of time were available but it appears that much of evolution didn't occur in all that available time. How do scientists explain that?

Finding an answer to Darwin’s Dilemma

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1751494/posts

[ndt]

First, just so we are clear, those are not my words, that was a quote from someone else who I do not fully agree with. I do however concur with the portion you excerpted so I will continue.

"So where does the Cambrian explosion come in?"

About 540 million years ago.

"Granted long periods of time were available but it appears that much of evolution didn't occur in all that available time. "

Are you sure you stated that correctly? The Cambrian "explosion" was just that an explosion, the apparent rapid development of a great deal of diversity. If anything it presents the appearance of "too much" evolution in too short a time span.

There are several possibilities to explain it, my favorite is that there was no Cambrian explosion.

Lack of evidence of diversity is not proof of a lack of diversity. Molecular clock estimates place the origin of bilateral animals at around 1,000,000,000 years ago. Making the question not why the sudden diversity but why are there no signs of it before the Cambrian.

Lack of hard parts? The breakup of snowball earth? The verdict is still out.

In any case, you are still making an argument from ignorance. Just because A is unknown, then B must be true.

So tell me, from you perspective, why did God make such a great diversity of animals appear 540 million years ago and modern humans only in the last 100k or so?