Life in Deep Time

How did rainforests and reefs respond to changes in temperature and carbon dioxide in the past? How did species evolve as a result of geological changes? What were tropical ecosystems like before humans? Our scientists address these questions using a rich fossil record. Their investigations look at the rise of the first tropical forests tens of millions of years ago; how marine species diverged after being isolated on either side of the Isthmus of Panama a few million of years ago; and how reefs and forests have changed over thousands of years in response to climate change and human impact.