For Immediate Release Contact: Nancy O'Shea (312) 665-7103 (For Media Use Only) From Ancient Fossils Comes Earth's Most Wondrous Story: Four Billion Years in the Evolution of Life Have you ever wished you could step into a time machine and see for yourself how life unfolded over the course of 4 billion years? Now you can! Evolving Planet takes visitors on the journey of a lifetime—the lifetime of our living, changing Earth. It’s a great adventure, from the first glimmerings of life to the diverse plant and animal species that today make their living in the water, on land, and in the air. Propelling each step of the journey is the scientific principal that connects all life on Earth: evolution. With videos and interactive stations throughout the exhibition, Evolving Planet illuminates what evolution has brought about, how it works, and how we know. How It All Began: The Precambrian (4.5 billion-543 million years ago) The journey begins with a video presentation of Earth 4 billion years ago. Our home was a violent planet, bombarded by meteorites, beset by volcanic eruptions, without a hint of breathable air. How did life get its start in this hostile environment? Visitors will learn about competing theories: Did life’s building blocks form here on Earth, or were they carried here from outer space by meteorites? At the first of eight “Scientist Stops” throughout the exhibition, visitors will hear from Field Museum geologist Meenakshi Wadhwa, who studies ancient rocks and meteorites that date back to the origins of life. Among the examples of early life featured in the exhibition is a remarkable specimen, exclusive to the Field Museum: a rock containing the oldest known fossil of a eukaryotic organism. Eukaryotic cells are those whose DNA is contained within a nucleus; over time these types of cells developed sexual reproduction, creating new combinations of DNA and offspring different from their parents. The ability of certain individuals to survive, reproduce, and pass on their traits—the process known as natural selection—is the mechanism behind all evolution. Where did the paths of evolution take eukaryotic organisms? A diorama of extraordinary fossils from the late Precambrian, some 600 million years ago, shows the very first animals on Earth—creatures so strange scientists still don’t know exactly where they fit in the tree of life. Continue>>