
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


538 million years ago, life on Earth changed forever. In an evolutionary burst known as the Cambrian Explosion, complex animals rapidly appeared in the oceans, laying the foundations for almost every major animal group alive today.
Tristan Hughes is joined by the mighty Henry Gee to explore biology’s 'Big Bang'. What triggered this extraordinary leap in evolutionary complexity? Why did creatures with eyes, shells and limbs emerge so suddenly in the fossil record? And what can the Cambrian Explosion reveal about the origins of animal life and the history of our planet?
MORE
Rise of Humans
Listen on Apple
Listen on Spotify
The Age of Dinosaurs
Listen on Apple
Listen on Spotify
We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - grab your tickets here.
The Ancients is now on YouTube! Watch here: @TheAncientsPodcast
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.
Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week, PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
By History Hit4.7
29892,989 ratings
538 million years ago, life on Earth changed forever. In an evolutionary burst known as the Cambrian Explosion, complex animals rapidly appeared in the oceans, laying the foundations for almost every major animal group alive today.
Tristan Hughes is joined by the mighty Henry Gee to explore biology’s 'Big Bang'. What triggered this extraordinary leap in evolutionary complexity? Why did creatures with eyes, shells and limbs emerge so suddenly in the fossil record? And what can the Cambrian Explosion reveal about the origins of animal life and the history of our planet?
MORE
Rise of Humans
Listen on Apple
Listen on Spotify
The Age of Dinosaurs
Listen on Apple
Listen on Spotify
We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - grab your tickets here.
The Ancients is now on YouTube! Watch here: @TheAncientsPodcast
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.
Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week, PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5,542 Listeners

3,239 Listeners

1,851 Listeners

4,820 Listeners

6,238 Listeners

757 Listeners

5,234 Listeners

109 Listeners

531 Listeners

15,661 Listeners

1,892 Listeners

2,065 Listeners

2,868 Listeners

180 Listeners

267 Listeners

1,400 Listeners

1,588 Listeners

1,139 Listeners