Several Field Museum scientists are working in Chile's southern rainforests. Bruce Patterson is studying the mammals from this area and other forested areas in South America; Al Newtonand Margaret Thayer are providing the first detailed documentation of the area's beetles; and John Engel is studying minute liverworts - moss-like plants that commonly festoon the trees and cover the ground in these damp forests. Their work explores how southern ecosystems evolved and identifies ecological links that can be used to forecast the impact of human activity on these forests.

Bruce Patterson was born in Coco Solo, Panama, and studied at St. Lawrence University and New Mexico State University. Al Newton was born in Riverside, New Jersey, and studied at Rutgers University and Harvard University. Margaret Thayer was born in Oakland, California, and studied at Brown University and Harvard University. John Engel was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and studied at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and Michigan State University.