The why, what, when and how of the first animal skeletons

Online talk by Museum Research Fellow, Dr Duncan Murdock, talking about the first animals to build skeletons, and what they did with them. Half a billion years ago a bewildering array of animals evolved, bristling with shells, teeth and spines during a Cambrian explosion of skeletons. Dr Murdock will explain the what, when and how of when life got hard for animals, and the world changed forever, and discuss the why of what caused this remarkable evolutionary event.

Dr Duncan Murdock is a Research Fellow at Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Dr Murdock’s research is focused on using the fossil record to understand the early evolution of skeletons in animals. He uses high magnification electron microscopes and 3D X-ray imaging to study microscopic skeletal elements and determine the environmental and developmental drivers of biomineralisation in animals.

*Please note, this lecture will not be suitable for young children, but is suitable for adults and young people – beginners and experts welcome! 

This lecture is part of our public programme, so no certificate will be gained by attending this lecture.