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Death: Life’s Greatest Mystery

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When a whale dies, it eventually sinks to the bottom of the ocean, where it becomes the foundation of a new ecosystem, like the one seen here. This 10-foot-long diorama shows how the whale’s body serves as nutrients and supports hundreds of species for decades.
© Field Museum, artwork by Blue Rhino Studios

Feb. 26 - Sept. 7, 2026

Some people fear it. Others embrace it. But all of us must eventually face it.

For every living being on this planet, death is the greatest mystery of them all. The ways that we experience it, celebrate life, and wonder about what’s next are part of what makes us human— yet it’s also a subject we often push aside.

Death: Life’s Greatest Mystery invites you to consider your own “big questions” about death as you explore natural and cultural responses to life’s inevitable conclusion. Through artifacts, specimens, interactives, and immersive media experiences, you’ll discover amazing animal adaptations used for survival and learn how various cultures commemorate life.

Reflect on death as part of the natural cycle of life and leave with a profound new understanding of life’s most universal experience.

Visit Death: Life’s Greatest Mystery at the Royal Alberta Museum from February 26 -September 7, 2026.

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Cette exposition est offerte en anglais et en français. 

This exhibition does not contain human remains.    

This exhibition was organized by the Field Museum with major support provided by Lilly Endowment, Inc. and additional support from Alicia and Peter Pond.