Life on Earth first appeared nearly 3.8 billion years ago with simple bacteria that evolved in water. With time, organisms multiplied and became more diverse. Today there are billions of creatures, belonging to millions of species, inhabiting our planet. As they evolved, these species went through many changes; some have become extinct while others continue to diversify.

Evolution is not only a major theme in the Museum and our educational activities, but also among our scientists. Our geologists, palaeontologists and archaeobiologists, among others, investigate the evolution of life over geological time. Anthropobiologists and archaeologists concentrate on human evolution (focussing on aspects such as anatomy, adaptation to the environment and culture). Some of our biologists also study evolution, in particular the sexual and asexual reproduction of modern species.