Insect Tray (IMAGE) California Academy of Sciences Caption The California Academy of Sciences houses a ten-million-specimen Entomology collection -- one of the largest in North America. The study results published in this week's issue of Science tell Academy researchers more than ever before about the evolution of insects. Scientists now believe insects originated at the same time as the earliest terrestrial plants, about 480 million years ago. Credit ©Andrew McCormick for the California Academy of Sciences Usage Restrictions Must be credited to: ©Andrew McCormick for the California Academy of Sciences License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.