A short article in Science Daily describes research that
suggests that a buildup of calcium in the oceans in the early
Cambrian provided the necessary trigger for the Cambrian
"explosion" - the pronounced expansion and diversification of
multicellular groups of animals. Some of the best examples of
this evolutionary radiation is preserved in deposits like the
Burgess Shale and the Chengjiang strata. Here is the one
sentence summary- The researchers succeeded to show that the
massive and sudden surge in the calcium concentration of the
Cambrian seawater -- that is believed to be the result of
volcanically active mid-ocean ridges -- not only initiated the
buildup of calcified shells, but was also mandatory for the
aggregation and stabilization of multicellular sponge
structures. This allows, on the other hand, to formulate a novel
theory where the geologically induced increase of marine calcium
might be the key for understanding the Cambrian Explosion of
Life. There is deja vu when I read another ultimate causa