A Video Journey Through the Museum of the Earth
The Museum of the Earth at the Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York.
Contents
A Journey Through Time, Narrated by Frank H. T. Rhodes
Glacial Ice Sculpted New York's Finger Lakes Region
Animation of Rift Valley Formation During Splitting of Pangea
Preparing Fossils: How Fossils are Removed from Rock
The History of the Museum of the Earth at the Paleontological Research Institution
A Journey Through Time, Narrated by Frank H. T. Rhodes (1926-2020)
Early History of Earth and its Life
The first four billion years—85%—of Earth history saw enormous changes in every Earth system. During this interval of time, known as the Precambrian, microbial life originated and diversified. Photosynthesizing bacteria led to an oxygen-rich atmosphere. Learn about early evolution of the Earth and its life in this film.
Life in Paleozoic Seas
Animals first appeared in ancient seas about 650 million years ago. Over the following several hundred million years animal groups diversified and went extinct in response to major global changes in climate, sea level, and mountain building. Learn about diversification of marine animal life in this film.
Life Diversifies on Land: Carboniferous Forests to Triassic Reptiles
As forest plants evolved and adapted to more upland environments, land animals also diversified. One vertebrate lineage gave rise to many familiar reptile groups, including the dinosaurs, and another included mammals among its descendants. At the end of the Permian period, around 250 million years ago, the largest mass extinction in Earth history disrupted the dominance of many groups on both land and in the sea. Learn about diversification of terrestrial life and the great end-Permian extinction in this film.
Age of Reptiles to the Age of Mammals
The dinosaurs and their pterosaur cousins dominated land environments in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, while other groups of giant reptiles such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and mosasaurs dominated ocean life. A mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period killed off all the large reptiles, among many other kinds of organisms both on land and in the sea. One group of small dinosaurs–the birds–and the mammals survived the extinction and went on to expand into nearly every habitat on Earth. Learn about the life from the Age of Dinosaurs to present in this film.
Additional Videos
Glacial Ice Sculpted New York's Finger Lakes Region
The beautiful Finger Lakes region of Central New York consists of eleven long thin lakes running from the flat topography in the north to hilly topography in the Southern Tier. Dozens of spectacular waterfalls can be found along streams flowing into the lakes, especially near the southern ends of Cayuga and Seneca Lakes. These features are all manifestations of mile-thick ice sheets that cover the region during the Pleistocene Ice Ages. This video explains how ice sculpted the topography of the Finger Lakes region. The video is part of an exhibit at the Museum of the Earth (Ithaca, NY) on the history of glaciers in the region.
Video by the Paleontological Research Institution and its Museum of the Earth (YouTube); produced by Bryan Isacks.
Right Whale, Wrong Time
North Atlantic right whales are the most endangered species of large whales, a victim of intense whaling in the 19th century and since then of shipping and other human activities. The film Right Whale, Wrong Time tells the story of right whale #2030, an adult female right whale that died tragically after getting entangled in fishing gear. The film includes an interview with Dave Matilla and Charles Mayo of the Center for Coastal Studies (Provincetown), whose team had tried to free of her of the ropes. It also includes Warren Allmon, Director of the Paleontological Research Institution and its Museum of the Earth, where the skeleton of #2030 is on display and its story told through information on whale ecology, evolution, and conservation. Video by the Paleontological Research Institution and its Museum of the Earth (YouTube). Producer, Director of Photography, and Camera: David O. Brown. Scripting and editing: David O. Brown. Music and audio engineering: William K. Hatch. Additional footage courtesy of NOAA and the New England Aquarium.
When Continents Collide
Plate tectonics is the process by which continents move, mountains form, and ocean basins grow or disappear. Plate tectonics makes Earth's surface dynamic, causing volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, and explains many of the most significant events in the history of the Earth. This film explores the basics and development of plate tectonics, featuring Cornell University geology professors Bryan Isacks, Larry Brown, and the late John (Jack) Bird. Produced by: Paleontological Research Institution & David O. Brown (Passage Productions).
Animation of Rift Valley Formation During Splitting of Pangea
In the late Triassic period, the supercontinent Pangea began to split apart into the continents we know today. The process was similar the rifting taking place in East Africa today. In this video, you can observe how rifts form natural valleys, where lakes and rivers may form. In rocks from ancient rift valleys associated with Pangea, we find evidence of ancient environments such as fossils such as fish and dinosaur footprints. Video by the Paleontological Research Institution and its Museum of the Earth (YouTube).
Preparing Fossils: How Fossils are Removed from Rock
To see and study fossils embedded within sedimentary rock, the rocky matrix must first be removed, a process known as fossil preparation. In this video, learn about some of the standard and specialized tools to prepare fossils. This video accompanies the public Preparation Laboratory exhibit at the Museum of the Earth of the Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca, NY.
The History of the Museum of the Earth at the Paleontological Research Institution
The Museum of the Earth is a natural history museum in Ithaca, NY that tells the history of the history of the Earth and its life through specimen-rich exhibits and programs. The Museum of the Earth is an exhibits and education facility of the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI), based in Ithaca, NY; PRI is an affiliate of Cornell University. In this video, PRI Director Warren Allmon relates the founding of PRI by Cornell paleontologist Gilbert Harris in 1932 and the vision behind creating the Museum of the Earth. Architects Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi explain concepts integrated into their architectural design of the Museum. And artist Barbara Page tells about the development of her landmark mural of the history of life, Rock of Ages, Sands of Time, at the entrance of the Museum experience. Produced by: Paleontological Research Institution & David O. Brown (Passage Productions). Music: “Silencio” performed by Blue 44.