Biological diversity, life on planet Earth, is an interconnected continuum in time and space. All life is connected through genetic ancestry, but also through interactions in and with changing environments.  The course provides students with a well-rounded understanding of biological diversity, including the concepts of and tools to study biological diversity, the innovations underlying the large biological diversity on our planet, a broad overview of biological diversity on our planet in the past and present, and importance of biological diversity to humans and the biosphere we inhabit.