The paper investigates the divergence of cephalopods. The limited fossil record makes it difficult to find divergence times and patterns. The researchers used molecular clocking, a technique to track the timing of when groups in the cephalopod phylogeny split off from one another. Molecular clocking measures genetic mutations over time in different groups to show measure how they evolve differently, and this data is subsequently compared to their fossil records. The paper showed that cephalopods diverged during the Mesozoic Revolution, 160-100 millions of years ago. During this time there were not only dinosaurs above land, but there were also dramatic changes below the sea caused by competition. Many adaptations arose around this time in response to the competition. For example, cephalopods lost their shells, which made them more lightweight and improved their agility. Predator-prey arms races influenced many of the adaptations that arose among cephalopods. The researchers tracked when these adaptations came into existence in different groups in addition to the rate of diversification.
Comments
First sentence
I think for the first sentence you should say the paper I have read or something along those lines instead of just the word "the". Just so you can gain context with out reading the title or subject line.
Comment
One chnage that I would make would be to not say above the land and compare that to underwater. The organisms were on land, not above it for the most part.
Suggestion
You tend to start many of the sentences the same way with 'the.' I would try to add some variety and alter the beginnings of some sentences to make it less repetitive.