BYU: Bean Life Science Museum unveils new evolution exhibit
-
- This display of plant life is part of “Evolutionary Tree of Life,” a new exhibit now on display at Brigham Young University’s Bean Life Science Museum.
-
- The public can now visit a new exhibit titled “Evolutionary Tree of Life” at Brigham Young University’s Bean Life Science Museum.
Courtesy BYU
This display of plant life is part of "Evolutionary Tree of Life," a new exhibit now on display at Brigham Young University's Bean Life Science Museum.
The Bean Life Science Museum at Brigham Young University invites the community to explore its new exhibit, “Evolutionary Tree of Life,” a branching and complex representation of evolution traced throughout the Earth’s history.
The immersive exhibit utilizes the floor, walls and even the ceiling in its circular design. The heart of the display is found at the viewer’s feet, where a roadmap of evolutionary changes across time guides participants to the various displays. As evolution occurs, new branches run from the floor up onto the walls, where glass cases depict life at that level of the tree. Prompts written on the ground link the past to the future and inspire curiosity. Birds and bats appear to fly overhead while giant touchscreens encourage further exploration.
“The Tree of Life is a story of diversity,” said Dr. Michael Whiting, director of the Bean Life Science Museum, during the opening ceremony. “We have more than 30 million species on our planet today. Every one of those magnificent species is tied together through the Tree of Life.”
Some of the specimens on display are now extinct, while others have never been shown before at the museum.
Charles Darwin is credited for first symbolizing the history of evolution as a tree, but it has taken scientists over a century to recover enough of the fossil record to put the pieces together. BYU students and faculty contributed to the fossil record as they analyzed specimens collected from around the world. Their research efforts revealed new insights that were incorporated into the exhibit.
Courtesy BYU
The public can now visit a new exhibit titled "Evolutionary Tree of Life" at Brigham Young University's Bean Life Science Museum.
Recognizing how difficult it can be to visualize the evolutionary tree of life, Whiting and his team set out to create an immersive experience that makes natural selection and the diversification of life more intuitive. “We’ve attempted to create an exhibit that allows you to walk along the Tree of Life and see how it grows,” he said.
This achievement was made possible through the help of 80 life science students who worked for three years to complete the project.
“Through this exhibit, we hope you will come closer to understanding our great Creator,” Whiting said. He hopes that by engaging with the Evolutionary Tree of Life, viewers will also discover how they are connected to all of God’s creations and the importance of preserving the diverse life all around us.
The new exhibit is now permanently open to the public and admission is free. For more information about the museum, view its website.
