Kunming, November 15 (Xinhua) -- On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the discovery of the Chengjiang fauna, which is known as "one of the most astonishing scientific discoveries of the 20th century", more than 130 experts and scholars from China, the United States, Canada and other countries gathered in Chengjiang County, Yunnan Province, from 12 to 15 November to hold the 2019 Cambrian Outbreak International Symposium to exchange the latest research results in this field and discuss the next research direction.
In the early Cambrian period, about 530 million years ago, almost all animal types (phylum first-class taxonomy), including vertebrates, appeared rapidly in just a few million years, and this rapid life evolution event is known as the "Cambrian Explosion". Marked by the Cambrian explosion, the earth's long history can be divided into two stages, namely the barren "Cryptozoic" and the vibrant "Phanerosic".
Cambrian explosions are at the forefront of science that commonly focus on paleontology, evolutionary biology, and earth sciences. The Cambrian Chengjiang Fauna, discovered in 1984, is a rare treasure trove of fossils, rich and beautifully preserved, vividly reproducing the true appearance of marine life about 520 million years ago, providing extremely valuable evidence for revealing the mysteries of the Cambrian explosion, and is hailed as "one of the most amazing scientific discoveries of the 20th century". In 2012, the Chengjiang Fossil Site was listed as a World Natural Heritage Site.
The reporter learned from the seminar that as of now, the Chengjiang fauna has found more than 260 species, including primitive vertebrates, and animal types belonging to more than 20 phylums. The Chengjiang fauna not only shows the complex diversity of animal body structure, but also reflects the differentiation and diversity of animal ecological functions, such as the discovery of odd shrimp fossils, indicating that a complex ecosystem composed of "pyramid" food chains has been established in the early Cambrian ocean. The Chengjiang biota as a whole shows us that a modern marine ecosystem dominated by prozoans has formed.
"Evolution is more complicated than Darwin thought." Chen Junyuan, a researcher at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and one of the main researchers of the Chengjiang fauna, said. Since the late 20th century, despite a series of breakthroughs in the discovery and research of late Precambrian and Cambrian fossil communities, there are still many unsolved mysteries in the Cambrian explosion.
The international symposium was hosted by the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and co-organized by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Chengjiang County Government. The seminar arranged more than 30 academic report exchanges, and organized experts and scholars to conduct field scientific investigations in important fossil production areas and sections such as Guizhou Wong'an Biota, Jianhe "Golden Nail" Profile, Maotianshan Chengjiang Biota, MeishuCun Small Shell Biota, etc., and discussed relevant scientific issues on the spot.