Bayesian inference from single spikes

Spiking neurons appear to have evolved concurrently with the advent of animal-on-animal predation, near the onset of the Cambrian explosion 543 million years ago. We hypothesize that strong selection pressures of predator-prey interactions can explain the evolution of spiking neurons. The fossil record and molecular phylogeny indicate that animals existed without neurons for at least 100 million years prior to the Cambrian explosion. The first animals with nervous systems may have been derived sponge larvae that started feeding in the water column