Windows On Life

The new gallery at BITM is an 
extension of the classroom, says Biplab Das 

It is 59 minutes past eleven. Earth is just born. Then, 20 seconds later, the planet hears the first murmur of life. Another 35 seconds elapse before the dinosaurs arrive. Apes arrive a fraction of a second before midnight. As the clock strikes 12, humans evolve. 

This minute-long action-packed account (called the 'Evolution clock') in the section 'Evolution: Strides of Life' at the recently inaugurated 'Life Science Gallery' of the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum (BITM), presents 4.6 billion years of history in a capsule. 

The new gallery takes you on an exciting journey back to the humble beginnings of life 3.8 billion years ago, and the gradual emergence of diverse life forms, which reached the pinnacle of evolution with man. 

"Aided by interactive exhibits, multimedia programmes and colourful visuals, the 'Life Science Gallery' will intrigue the young students. We want that this gallery should be utilised as an extended classroom," says Samaresh Goswami, director of BITM. 

As the sea is thought to be the earliest nursery of life, the section, 'Water, the cradle of life,' provides glimpses of exotic marine life forms. Life emerged from the sea and slowly colonised the land. Soon, land became home to insects and various predatory animals. 

In the section, 'Land life proliferates' a roaring saber-toothed tiger against a backdrop of forest brings back the wilderness of 10 million years ago. A separate chart, 'Rulers of the jungle: the cat family', depicts various species of cats with their time of emergence. 

Long before humans mastered the art of flying, Nature itself unfolded the secret of flying. The section 'Air: Mastery of life' gives an insight into the world of the airborne. From the anatomy of a feather to the hovering flight of a hummingbird, everything has been portrayed. The chirping live birds in the bird cage easily draw the attention of young visitors. 

Wildlife enthusiasts can learn to identify animals by their footprints in the 'Pug Marks' section. A chart, 'Life's rich tapestry', shows the mind-boggling diversity of species. Of an estimated 100 million species, only 1.75 million have been classified. 

The colourful chart, 'Nature's nursery' illustrates how different birds feed their young. In the section 'Egg to chick: Life multiplies' one learns how a chick is hatched from an egg. 

One can explore the versatility of life in the artificial 'Rain forest biome'. On the other hand, the unique flora and fauna of the desert is exhibited in the 'Desert biome'. 

Humans are relative latecomers on earth. But, with sheer intelligence, they have proved their dominance. To portray this, the gallery devotes an entire section called, 'Mankind: Supremacy of life'. In this section, multimedia programmes at the exhibit, 'Bone Plaza' provide an in-depth view of various bones ranging from those in the human skull to legs. 

One can check out his or her strength at the exhibit titled 'Muscles make movements'. The exhibit 'Vital organ sizes: Thumb rule' shows that the brain, heart and kidney in size with the increase in the thumb's size. The next exhibit, 'Heart in vertebrates' shows how the heart has grown in size from reptiles to mammals. 

Multimedia programmes at the 'Heart to heart' exhibit offers the anatomy of the heart, blood circulation, cardiac cycle and heart diseases. There is a follow-up quiz to test your knowledge. The exhibit, 'Measure your blood pressure' checks your blood pressure, and 'Pulse Rate at Rest' gives the heart rate. 

Our senses are necessary to examine our surroundings. The display, 'Skin: Sensing a touch', portrays how different unseen layers of skin aid the sense of touch. 

The exhibit on the tongue is accompanied by a small write-up that narrates the hidden story of taste. A taste sensation begins when a chemical dissolved in saliva flows around papillae (small bumps on the tongue). As the solution makes contact with a receptor, it undergoes a chemical change and an electrical signal, generated by the change, goes to the brain. 

Without eyes, Nature might have remained unexplored. How the combination of cornea, lens, retina and visual center in the brain produce an image has been nicely showcased at the exhibit, 'Eyes: Windows to the world'. 

It is the ear that carries music to the brain. The interactive exhibit, 'Ear: Pathways for hearing', provides a cross-sectional view of the ear and the path taken by sound from the outer ear to the brain. One can see how the sense of smell is born from the exhibit 'Nose: Smell check'. All the sense organs need the central processing unit that is the brain. 'Brain: Processor for perception' makes an impressive exhibit and it meticulously develops a picture of a thinking brain. 

The idea of man's supremacy is shattered, however, when visitors turn to the multimedia programme on genetics. With the deciphering of the genetic code and the mapping of human and other species' genomes, it has been established that man does not differ much from the grass that grows under his feet. 

Despite our diversity, the cord that binds all the creatures on earth together is DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). This view is made clear when visitors stumble upon the giant revolving polymer replica of DNA at the centre of the gallery.