Oak Park Newspaper

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The Stage for Earth's Evolution and the life which followed is showcased
in a beautiful setting with the early beginning starts billions of years ago.
© Oak Park Journal photos

EVOLVING PLANET
at Chicago's Field Museum
review by Ed Vincent

The beginning of the permanent exhibit states unequivocally
that the process of evolution is what the exhibit is all about and
that this is not a five thousand year mythology but rather a
process of millions of years of growth, mutation and development.

The exihibit is not only good science, but it is articulate, well
designed and on par with the world's top institutions offering
similar materials for the public to enjoy and learn from. I was
particularly impressed looking at the synapids and their notation
that these reptiles were the precursors to mammals.

Evanston High School students pause a momemet during a field trip.
© Oak Park Journal photo

The dimetrodon, everyones favorite synapid smiles to greet you to the
exhibit.
© Oak Park Journal photo

The dimetrodon was first found in North America on Prince
Edward Island of Canada. The dimetrodon was not a dinosaur
but was a reptile that led to the evolution of mammals and therefore
a distant cousin of sorts. The Field museum's new exhibit has a
vast display of plants and animals in dioramas, fossils, murals,
and lots displays.

This edaphosaurid, was a relative of the dimetrodon and many of our
relatives are here as well.
© Oak Park Journal photo

The Field museum has put science first, but mixed it with drama
and excitement. Kids and adults will enjoy the many informative
sights.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex, Sue, is always a popular display for visitors to the museum-from any angle.
© Oak Park Journal photos

The real skull of Sue is on the second floor and can be seen in its
own display case. The fossil skull of the T-Rex was too heavy to
mount on the display of Sue found on the first floor.

The flora and fauna of the past are brought to light at the new
Evolving Planet exhibit. There is no extra charge for seeing the
new exhibit and is included with your general admission.

EVOLVING PLANET
at Chicago's Field Museum

Evolving Planet
An Awe-Inspiring Journey through Four Billion Years of Life

What did the world look like through the eyes of a 500-million-year-old trilobite? What could you see, hear, and smell in the swampy forest that
was Chicago…300 million years ago? How would it feel to touch the face
of our early human cousins?

The Field Museum’s newest exhibition, Evolving Planet, takes visitors on an awe-inspiring journey through 4 billion years of life on Earth, from single-
celled organisms to towering dinosaurs and our extended human family. Unique fossils, animated videos, hands-on interactive displays, and recreated sea- and landscapes help tell the compelling story of evolution—the single process that connects everything that has ever lived on Earth.

Dinosaur fans are in for a real treat: an expanded dinosaur hall including representatives of every major group, evidence of the worlds they lived in,
and updated information on what scientists have learned from our world-renowned T. rex, Sue. And in video presentations throughout the exhibition, Field Museum scientists show visitors what we’re still learning about the past, present, and future of life on Earth.

The Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust is the generous sponsor of the Genius Hall of Dinosaurs. Evolving Planet is made possible, in part, by
support from Mr. James L. Alexander; Mrs. Noel Kaplan; Mr. and
Mrs. John W. Rowe; Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs; “Public Museum Capital Grant Program,” Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois State Museum; U.S. Department of Energy; U.S. Department of Education; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“A lot has happened recently in paleontology—the study of ancient life,”
says paleontologist Richard Kissel, the exhibition’s content specialist. “We wanted to give visitors a new look at the evolution of life on Earth, and the scientific evidence on which that story is based.” For example, he says, the recent discovery of dinosaurs with feathers and wishbones has cinched the case that birds are their direct descendents. In contrast, new scientific
debates are swirling around life’s origins: Did it arise near deep-sea hydrothermal vents, or were organic compounds brought to Earth on a meteorite? Meanwhile, new technologies for dating and analyzing fossils,
along with DNA analysis, have cast new light on human evolution.

Evolving Planet illuminates both time-tested and emerging ideas about the evolution of life with state-of-the-art exhibit tools. “This will be the most comprehensive, up-to-date telling of the story of life’s evolution anywhere
in the U.S.,” Kissel says. And arguably the most immersive. Kissel points
to a spectacular animated screen that surrounds visitors with 500-million-year-old sea creatures: “It’s like SCUBA diving in the
Cambrian seas,” he grins.

But the real stars of the exhibition are the fossils, including hundreds never before displayed and many that are rare or exclusive to The Field Museum. Among them are the oldest known fossil of cells whose DNA is contained within a nucleus; the “Tully monster,” an odd marine creature (and Illinois
state fossil), discovered not far from Chicago; the oldest known complete skeleton of a bat, a creature that has scarcely changed in 50 million years;
and several dinosaurs making their Field debut.

Do We Have Dinosaurs!

For many visitors, a highlight of their journey through Evolving Planet will
be the Mesozoic Era—the age of dinosaurs. It’s a gargantuan display, with authentic fossils and detailed casts spanning the era from Herrerasaurus, one
of the earliest dinosaurs, to the ferocious meat-eaters of the Late Cretaceous Period. Among the long-necked sauropods are a 72-foot-long Apatosaurus; original bones from the Brachiosaurus that stands guard outside the Museum, and the 18-foot-long youngster of a new dinosaur, Rapetosaurus, discovered recently in Madagascar. The armored Stegosaurus is here, as well as the horned and frilled ceratopsians and a pachycephalosaur with its huge helmet
of bone. Representing the plant-eating ornithopods is a Parasaurolophus, newly mounted in a life-like pose.

While Sue, the Field’s premier theropod (meat-eater), holds court
downstairs in the Museum’s main hall, Sue’s world is represented in Evolving Planet by a variety of animal and plant fossils that were found along with the
T. rex skeleton, including crocodiles, lizards, fish, and other dinosaur bones. Sue’s close cousin, Daspletosaurus, hunches over the body of a duck-billed hadrosaur. Nearby are another, more distant cousin, Allosaurus; the raptor Deinonychus; and Cryolophosaurus, one of the first dinosaurs found in Antarctica. “You can see why we say The Field Museum is the place for dinosaurs in Chicago,” says Kissel.

It’s also the place to dig deeper into the subject. Visitors will discover what makes a dinosaur a dinosaur, what was happening to the Earth’s climate and land masses during their time, and much more. There’s a special activity area for junior dinosaur fans, with lots of interactive displays, a chance to find out what dino skin and bones felt like, and answers to all those questions kids ask about dinosaurs—from what they ate to how they reproduced.

The dinosaurs are truly in their element in the new Genius Hall of Dinosaurs: it’s decorated with the famous murals painted for The Field Museum eighty years ago by Charles R. Knight, including the famous one showing T. rex confronting a Triceratops. Twenty-three of the huge paintings, beautifully restored, are on display throughout Evolving Planet.

Making Way for the New

We may regret the passing of the ancient dinosaurs, but their disappearance made way for an astonishing diversity of mammals. In fact, as visitors will learn, there have been at least six mass extinctions since the dawn of life; each one allowed the surviving lineages to diversify as they developed new features and occupied new roles in an altered world.

Evolving Planet explores the climate changes and environmental challenges that led to the diversification of mammals—from small rodents to the enormous short-faced bear making its first appearance in this exhibition. This complete fossil skeleton is an imposing sight, rearing up on its hind legs to a height of more than 11 feet!

The past 65 million years hold many fascinating stories. Visitors will discover, for example, how hoofed land mammals evolved into ocean-dwelling whales…and why two predators, separated by a vast sea and 25 million years, evolved the same saber-like teeth. And they’ll learn about the origins of Homo sapiens, including the wide array of hominid species that comprise the many branches of our family tree.

One of the most fascinating stories is that of Lucy, an early member of our family from the species Australopithecus afarensis. The life-like reconstruction made especially for this exhibition reveals a creature as close to apes as to modern humans. A cast of Lucy’s skeleton shows why her discovery in 1974 was so significant: the shape of her pelvis and legs indicates she walked upright, like us; but her brain was small, her skull the size of a chimpanzee’s.
It was this discovery that convinced scientists that humans began to walk upright before our brains grew large, and not the other way around.

Public Programs

The opening months of Evolving Planet are filled with lectures, workshops, family programs, field trips, and special performances—including a multi-media adaptation of Inherit the Wind and a mock trial in which the audience gets to decide what killed the dinosaurs. For updates on public programs and special events, please call (312) 665-7400.

Evolving Planet on the Web
A Web site accompanying Evolving Planet will offer in-depth information
on evolution, a detailed teachers’ guide, and links to related Web sites.

Admission

Admission to Evolving Planet is free with general admission to The Field Museum ($12 for adults, $7 for children 4-11, seniors, and students with ID). Discounts are available for Chicago residents. Visit www.fieldmuseum.org
or call (312) 922-9410 for details.

To purchase tickets, call 866-FIELD-03 (866-343-5303), visit www.fieldmuseum.org, or come to the Museum’s box office. Special rates are available for tour operators and groups of 15 or more. Call our Group Sales office toll-free at 888-FIELD-85 (888-343-5385).

Hours and General Information

The Field Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Christmas Day. Last tickets are sold at 4 p.m. For general Museum information call (312) 922-9410 or visit our interactive web site at www.fieldmuseum.org.

Location and Travel Information

The Field Museum is located at 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, on CTA bus
lines #6, #12, and #146, and close to other routes and the Metra electric
and South Shore lines. An indoor parking garage is located just steps from the main entrance. For more travel information, call the Illinois Department of Transportation, (312) 368-4636, or the RTA Travel Center Hotline, (312) 836-7000.

© Oak Park Journal photo

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