Matter is the stuff everything is made of. If we look around,
all that we can see or touch, and even the air we breathe, is made
of matter. This gallery looks at the nature of matter, the origins
of life and the universe around us. From giant rocks, sparkling
minerals and fossils, to meteorites from space, everything here is
made of matter.
Above: DNA molecule model.
Click on any of the object images below to see a larger version
of the object and find out more about it.
The Earth is about 4.5 billion years old. The ingredients for
life probably formed in the oceans and atmosphere, or perhaps were
even brought from space. We do not know exactly how the first cells
formed, but clues as to how early life developed can be found today
in organisms living in hot springs or salt lakes.
The earliest life on Earth was probably bacteria-like cells.
Rocks from about 3.5 billion years ago in Australia contain what
some scientists think are fossil cells.
Scientists are not certain if some early fossils are really
fossils at all, as they do not look like life forms alive today. We
really start to see recognisable creatures in the Cambrian period
(550-510 million years ago) in the form of trilobites.
Above: Minerals on display in the
gallery.
Looking into space
The spectacular, changing night sky was once a familiar and
useful sight. It was used to tell the time and to help with
navigation. Thousands of years ago, people started measuring the
stars and Sun to mark the changing seasons. This was the origin of
astronomy, ‘the first science’.
Above: Orrery. Photo © Jenni Sophia
Fuchs.
The Earth in Space gallery examines how our planet fits into the
Universe as a whole, and how perceptions of our place in the cosmos
have altered over the centuries.
In the gallery you'll find examples of the
ever-evolving technology that helps astronomers look deeper and
deeper into space. But the more scientists find out, the more new
questions there seem to be.