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ISCID Press ReleaseA Chat with Paul Nelson on the Cambrian Explosion Press Release ISCID is pleased to announce the following online event that is free and open to the entire internet public: Ontogenetic Depth as a Complexity Metric for the Cambrian Explosion. A chat with Paul Nelson* February 5th, 2003 9pm Eastern http://www.iscid.org/paul-nelson.php *Paul Nelson is a philosopher of biology, specializing in evo-devo and developmental biology. He is also a fellow of the International Society for Complexity, Information and Design. Dr. Nelson received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Department of Philosophy. His thesis critiques aspects of macroevolutionary theory...

500 Vertebrate Fish Found in Early Cambrian   01/30/2003 Where only one incomplete fossil had been known before, now 500 specimens of early Cambrian agnathan fish of the genus Haikouichthys have been reported in the Jan. 30 issue of Nature.  This wealth of new fossils “reveals a series of new and unexpected features that imply a major reconsideration of several features of early agnathan evolution,” says the team of Chinese and European paleontologists.  The fish appear to have had eyes, gills, and olfactory organs, and were swimmers.  The authors explain the implications (emphasis added): The possession of eyes (and probably nasal...