Guided Visit – The Great Bazaar of Evolution
Chapter Genève Alumni
The guided visit of this exhibition gave us a fresh insight into life on Earth, a fascinating voyage through more than four and a half billion years. Variation, transmission and interaction, a winning recipe for diversity and life in constant evolution, but also a passionate discussion with a drink during our closing aperitif.
On the first of July ten of us from the Chapter Genève Alumni visited the Botanical Garden near the Lake Leman, at the start of the ‘Great Bazaar of Evolution’ exhibition. To our delight we were privileged to be accompanied on this fascinating tour through the history of life on Earth by Madame Yamama Naciri, co-curator of the exhibition.
Stage by stage
The journey starts in the lake with the formation of the Earth, four and a half billion years ago, and continues along the large-scale chronological frieze. Stage by stage the key moments in the history of life are examined and explained in an inspiring scenography. Thus, the evolution of life out of the water is illustrated by the downstream end of the lakeside. Following the path of the exhibition, each step corresponds to several millions of years on the time scale.
Evolution of life
As we drank in the enthusiastic explanation of our guide, we discovered a gigantic phylogenetic tree giving a global insight into the history of the evolution of the living world. This tree helps to visualise the relations clearly and intuitively between species, to understand their common ancestors, but also to see the species which became extinct over time.
Natural selection
We were able to understand the different mechanisms in play during evolution. It’s the Variation of characteristics and their different combinations that makes individuals unique. This variation enables certain characteristics to appear (or disappear) and be transmitted through subsequent generations. The final mechanism shows itself through interactions within and between species which, through cooperation and symbiosis, allow the evolution of life. This is where the message of Charles Darwin appears in all its splendour. By the process of Natural Selection, the organism best adapted will have more of a chance of surviving, and not, as often misinterpreted, the strongest individual.
The visit ended with the influence of mankind on evolution and especially its enormous impact on biodiversity.
Excellent conclusion
Following this absorbing adventure through time and the evolution of life we ended our beautiful evening with a delightful aperitive on a lovely lake view terrace, so we could swap notes between us and appreciate the sweetness of this sunny day’s dusk. An excellent conclusion to the first event organised by the new committee.
