Located on the campus of the The Webb Schools, a private residential high school, in Claremont, California, the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology is the only nationally accredit museum of paleontology on a secondary school campus in the United States. The museum is named for Raymond Alf, who came to the school in 1929 with an interest in paleontology as a hobby. In 1936, Alf tool a group of students on a fossil collecting trip to the Mojave Desert where they found the 15-million-year-old skull of a peccary. This inspired Alf to begin his lifelong pursuit to elucidate the history of the Earth through fossils. The museum displaying the student discoveries was established in 1968 and in 1998 it was accredited by the American Association of Museums (less than five percent of the museum’s in the United States have this accreditation.) Students work with the museum staff collecting fossils, studying them, and co-authoring articles which are published in scientific journals.
The Museum displays seek to explain the ancient past as well as the methods and science which leads to these explanations. The Museum explains the scientific method:
“Scientists observe nature and develop explanations (hypotheses) for their observations. They then gather more data to test these hypotheses. If the data support the hypotheses, they will be tentatively accepted. If the data refute the explanation, a new hypothesis is proposed. Theories are well supported, rigorously tested hypotheses.”
The Museum also explains:
“Paleontologists are scientists who reconstruct the past based on fossil and geologic evidence. They explore biological, ecological, and geologic change to understand how our present-day world came to be. Our understanding of fossils and the history of life is always being expanded and revised in light of new specimens and research findings.”
With regard to evolution, the Museum explains:
“The theory of evolution is not simply guesswork—it has been rigorously tested and supported by immense amounts of scientific data as has the theory of gravity.”
With regard to questions about age and the dating of rocks and fossils, for example, the Museum display states:
“Some types of igneous rocks (form from molten magma) like lava and ash contain isotope that decay at a constant rate over time. The age of these types of rock can be calculated by measuring how much of the original isotope has changed.”
Shown above are the geologic eras.
According to the Museum display:
“The earth has changed enormously during its 4.6 billion year history. Scientists have given names to phases of the earth’s evolution over deep time so that they can be more easily understood.”
Shown above are footprints in the sand of time. This huge slab of sandstone preserves the tracks of reptile-like animals from 275 million years ago.
Shown above is a detail of the footprints.
The exhibit shown above shows the evolutionary sequence of the horse. From right to left: (1) Hyracotherium (Eohippus) about 55 million years ago; (2) Mesohippus from about 30 million years ago; (3) Merychippus from about 15 million years ago; and (4) Equus from the present.
According to the Museum display:
“All life constantly evolves. As conditions change, some species adapt and others go extinct. In the fossil record, this is shown by a series of fossil assemblages in superposition, where each assemblage differs from that above or that below.”
Shown above is the rather bushy evolutionary family tree of the horse.
Shown above are some dinosaur sculptures by Doris Tischler (reconstructed bodies) and Larry Williams (skeletons).
According to the Museum display:
“Since their discovery in the 1880s, dinosaurs have captivated the imagination of old and young alike. Artists have also been fascinated by these mysterious beasts. Sculptures are one way to portray dinosaurs and two styles are shown; basic skeletal structure and fully reconstructed bodies.”
The Human Story
According to the Museum display:
“Modern humans are part of the vast tree of life, sharing a common heritage with every other organism on Earth. The fossil record, including skulls, skeletons, and artifacts provides robust evidence of our ancestors and close cousins.”
Shown above is a display about human evolution.
Shown above is Austrolopithicus africanus, a possible human ancestor who lived in Africa 3-2 million years ago.
Shown above is Homo rudolfensis from 1.9 million years ago.
Shown above is Paranthropus boisei from 2.3 to 1.2 million years ago.
Shown above is Homo erectus from 1.8 to 1 million years ago.
Shown above are some stone tools associated with Homo habilis.
For more about early humans see:
Ancient World: A Short Overview of Homo Heidelbergensis
The Ancient World: An Overview of Homo Erectus
Ancient Africa: A Short Overview of Homo Habilis
Ancient Humans: A Short Overview of Homo Ergaster