Since the time of our cave-dwelling prehistoric ancestors, humans have been drawn to illustrate life, transforming our curiosity about the natural world into knowledge. At the California Academy of Sciences, we’ve been illustrating the story of life on our planet – unearthing new characters, revealing relationships, and sharing our findings in innovative ways – for more than 160 years. As you will see throughout this dynamic report, the Academy’s tradition of illustrating life continues to evolve. This app, overflowing with compelling stories, breathtaking images, and spectacular video that draw a clear picture of Academy life in 2012, is just one of the technological tools bringing the Academy’s mission to explore, explain and sustain life to life as never before. Indeed, we are drawing more than pictures that capture disappearing biodiversity. As you will see, there has never been a better place to illustrate life on Earth – not just the story of how we got here, but also of how we will find a place to stay.
The California Academy of Sciences 2012 Annual Report covers activities that took place between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012.