Fossils are a key component of geological heritage, revealing past biodiversity, environments, and ecosystem change. In Israel, fossils are a protected natural value by law, and their removal from the field is prohibited. Yet fossils are steadily declining due to repeated public collecting, leading to irreversible loss of geoheritage and scientific information. To translate research and conservation needs into meaningful action, we developed an integrated set of educational and outreach tools that make deep-time science accessible to non-expert audiences through curiosity-driven, hands-on experiences in fast, visual, digital formats.
The Fossil Wall is a community-based educational installation built from natural materials and embedded with real fossils alongside sculpted replicas. Created by a clay artist together with the community, the wall reconstructs regional stratigraphy from the Triassic through the Late Cretaceous and presents Tethyan life shortly before the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. It shifts fossils from “objects to collect” into stories to understand, linking geology, time, and place through a tangible encounter.
Educational activities were designed as place-based STEM and art learning: students meet researchers, practice fossil identification and protection principles, participate in guided field excursions, and work hands-on with casts, molds, and replicas. Maker-space elements extend learning through 3D fossil modeling, laser cutting, and interactive products such as escape-room activities and matching games, strengthening observation, inference, and scientific thinking. A key innovation is the “Fossil - Living Creature” app (based on fossil.org.il), combining AI-based fossil identification with AI-generated animation. Together with the matching game and the Fossil Wall, these tools translate taxonomy, stratigraphy, morphology, and habitats into an intuitive sequence: QR scan/photo → AI identification → focused information → short AI animation, building an engaging and scalable platform for education, outreach, and future research.