Earth was formed around 4.5 billion years ago and several hundred million years later, the first organisms, which we now see as microfossils, developed. When compared to the animal and plant world we know today, the first larger forms of life seem to be from another planet. One of the points of focus of the open day is this form of early life on Earth – you can even take a look at one of Bremen’s oldest fossils, which is around 570 million years old.
More than 500,000 stones and fossils from the Earth’s history are stored in the Geosciences Collection. On Saturday, November 23, 2019, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., visitors can discover a giant deer from the Ice Age and a fossilized palm at MARUM (Leobener Strasse 8). “You can, however, also take part in tours through time and get an idea of the gigantic length of the time periods,” explains the head of the Geosciences Collection, Prof. Dr. Jens Lehmann. “Whoever follows the trail will find out a little about the geological dimensions over several hundred million years. The realization of how late in the history of the Earth life formed and how quickly it then developed is astonishing for many visitors.”
Additionally, the scientists are offering a special service: Anyone who has found a fossil or mineral whilst on holiday can have it determined at the open day. The experts will be able to tell you the history of the stone.

Further information:

https://www.geosammlung.uni-bremen.de/en/geosciences-collection-of-the-university-of-bremen/
https://www.marum.de/en/
www.uni-bremen.de/en/

Contact:

Prof. Dr. habil. Jens Lehmann
Geosciences Collection of the University of Bremen
Faculty of Geosciences
Klagenfurter Straße 4
28359 Bremen
Phone: 0421/218-65016
Email: jens.lehmannprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de

Dr. Christian Hallmann
MPI Organic Paleobiogeochemistry research group
IW-3 building
Hochschulring
28359 Bremen
Phone: 0421/218-65820
Email: challmannprotect me ?!marumprotect me ?!.de