Paleontologists are interested in understanding life in the fourth dimension -- life through time. Before they can attempt to reconstruct the forms and functions of once-living organisms, paleontologists have to place the material in context. The context of evolutionary biology is phylogeny, the relationships between groups of organisms as expressed as ancestor/descendant relationships.

You can learn about the history of life on Earth by tracing life's phylogeny from three different starting points. By clicking on "The Biosphere," you can work your way through the phylogeny of all organisms, from whales to bacteria, a story covering 3.5 billion years. If you're most interested in animals, click on "The Metazoa" to examine the history of living and fossil animals over 650 million years. Finally, if things with backbones excite you, click on "Vertebrates."

IF you want to look up a specific taxon in our exhibits, or see what we have available, then click on our Web Lift to Taxa.