The Secret Life of Galaxies

We have learned much about galaxy evolution since z = 2, and something to even higher redshifts. How can it be that we know so little about the star formation histories (SFHs) of individual galaxies? Although great progress has been made accumulating huge samples with only rudimentary properties, progress in galaxy evolution means connecting what we've learned to detailed measurements of the life-histories of specific - not just representative - systems.