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Welcome to the C.O.R.E.-Group Website

About the C.O.R.E. Group

CORE stands for an excellent example of a close and necessary alliance between Biology and Palaeontology to improve our understanding of Metazoan evolution. Our study objects are the Cambrian 'Orsten' fossils. These exceptionally preserved fossils have opened a unique window into early life at the bottom of the Cambrian Sea – even in a three-dimensional view. This aided to boost our understanding of the early evolution and phylogeny of especially the Arthropoda and to understand more about functional aspects and evolutionary changes toward the modern taxa.

In 2005 we established the Center of 'Orsten' Research and Exploration (= C.O.R.E.) and the informal research alliance CORE Group based on common interest in the 3D 'Orsten' fossils. The CORE Group currently has 34 members from no less than 9 countries and from 4 continents (don't know how to handle Japan). Our main idea is to concentrate expertise about 'Orsten' type fossils and lagerstätten and related topics and to disseminate information on the 'Orsten'.

At present we still have some bias on information from Swedish 'Orsten' lagerstätten, but we hope to add more from other sites, such as China, the UK (Comley), Poland, and Australia progressively, because the new localities from these countries have contributed significantly to and expanded the knowledge about and around the 'Orsten'. This is true as much for the time span of occurrences and range of fossils as for aspects of lithology, preservation and taphonomy. And, of course, for evolutionary implications, as you can see from our paper published in Nature in 2007 (click on publications above).

Enjoy our 'Orsten' web page, and feel free to send us an email; we are grateful for any kind of suggestions, additions, critics, etc.

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since July 16, 2007