Stony paths to life

For billions of years, the world of rocks and the world of life have been closely linked through the action of water. As a result, the Earth’s mineral diversity and biological evolution are interconnected.

The new special exhibition“Rocky Paths to Life,”developed at the RiesKraterMuseum, explores the close relationship between rock and life. Through the exhibits, various paths are opened up that lead to the origins, relationships, and characteristics of the living world. These paths are guided by three questions that serve Exhibition a common thread throughout the Exhibition : What role do rocks play in the origin of life? What interactions exist between rocks and life? And what actually distinguishes a living organism from a rock?

The aim of Exhibition to engage in a dialogue with the stones to reveal unusual paths toward a deeper understanding of life and to raise awareness of the fact that, from the very beginning of life, the geosphere and the biosphere have been closely linked and interconnected through constant change.