P V Sukumaran has been working with the Geological Survey of India since 1974. His interests include, among others, origin and early evolution of life

Despite the protracted history of life on earth spanning well over 3.8 Ga, fossil record of the Precambrian (>543 Ma) largely documents only microscopic life. The mostly simple Precambrian life forms were followed by a sudden explosive radiation of multicellular animals at the turn of the Cambrian period (543-490 Ma) between 530 and 520 Ma ago, when almost two-thirds of the animal phyla make their dramatic appearance in the fossil record. This unusual and amazing burst of macroevolutionary change is called the Cambrian explosion.

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Address for Correspondence
P V Sukumaran
Geological Survey of India
Alandi Road, Pune 411 006
Email:gsi_pune@vsnl.com