Variety
is the spice of life—or is it?
Earth hosts millions of species in myriad forms—a fraction
of all that have gone before—but this riotous diversity
masks an underlying unity.
Woodpecker
and tree, ant and elephant, bacterium and human—deep
down, we’re all alike. Our methods may vary, but we all
use energy and reproduce. As species, we all evolve. And we’re
all made of the same ingredients—cells.
Cells
connect us not just to each other but to a common ancestor.
We’re all ultimately variations on an ancient recipe,
passed on from generation to generation since life sputtered
out of a primordial soup.
While
there are many characteristics that distinguish living from
inanimate matter, the
exhibits
in the Traits of Life collection focus on four defining features:
all life is made of cells and DNA; life makes more of its
own kind; life evolves over time; and life uses energy.
Renovation of the Traits of Life exhibit labels in 2010 was supported through the generous support of the Genentech Foundation for Biomedical Sciences.
