Animation Description
This animation begins with a horizontal array of photos of 17 different organisms, mostly microrganisms, with a question mark underneath them. When "next" is clicked, the question mark disappears, and an evolutionary tree grows upwards showing that all of these different species are related evolutionarily and stem from a single origin. An arrow shows that time progresses in the upwards direction on the tree. Then three colored backgrounds appear beneath the tree showing that all of life can be divided into three groups. The group Archaea originates near the root of the tree and is associated with the 5 photos on the left. The group "bacteria and relatives" originates near the root of the tree and is associated with the 11 photos on the right. The group Eukaryotes originates from a merger of one Archaean lineage and one bacterial lineage about half way up the tree. It is associated with the image of a mushroom. Hovering over each group reveals information about them.
Animation Text
Panel 1:
Have you ever looked around and been amazed? All living things that exist today and in the past are the result of millions of years of evolution.
Panel 2:
- Archaea are very unusual microscopic, single-celled organisms. They are able to survive in extreme environments, including deep-sea vents with temperatures well over 100 degrees Celsius, and highly alkaline, salty, or acidic waters.
- Eukaryota include the organisms that people are most familiar with — animals, plants, fungi, and protists. They have a cell structure that includes a nucleus and other organelles. They can be single-celled or multi-celled.
- Bacteria are single-celled organisms that have been around for more than 3.5 billion years. Bacteria can be found almost everywhere, from the base of your eyelashes to the deep layers of the Earth.
Panel 3:
This module explores a way to understand and organize past and present biodiversity according to evolutionary history. This method allows you to investigate all sorts of questions ... even what T. rex tasted like!