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Fossilized feces spurred Cambrian Explosion, study says

8/9/2026

Summary

Story summary

Russell Bicknell (Flinders University) said fossilized feces (coprolites) helped drive the Cambrian Explosion in Trends in Ecology and Evolution paper.
The team examined coprolites from 35 sites, noting a shift in size, shape, composition and finding microscopic pellets to centimeter-scale coprolites with crushed shells.
Bicknell linked richer diets and complex foreguts in early arthropods to food webs that funneled organic matter into ancient oceans, a feedback loop that fuels life.

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Story summary

Russell Bicknell (Flinders University) said fossilized feces (coprolites) helped drive the Cambrian Explosion in Trends in Ecology and Evolution paper.
The team examined coprolites from 35 sites, noting a shift in size, shape, composition and finding microscopic pellets to centimeter-scale coprolites with crushed shells.
Bicknell linked richer diets and complex foreguts in early arthropods to food webs that funneled organic matter into ancient oceans, a feedback loop that fuels life.