“The universe is theorised to have developed from a singularity. This is hypothesised to be an infinitely dense and hot point of zero volume. After a period of incredibly rapid exponential expansion, the expanding universe gradually cooled. Within the first few minutes, the nuclei of hydrogen and helium are thought to have formed during nucleosynthesis. The universe continued cooling until hydrogen and helium atoms could form around 377,000 years on, when electrons combined with these existing nuclei. The birth of the first stars and galaxies is estimated to have occurred around 100-200 million years after the big bang and so began the evolution of the ever more complex structures that we see today.”

“It is thought that life began early in the Archean period and there is fossil evidence of early microbial life dating back to around 3,700,000 years ago. The earth was still very hot due partly to the remnant heat of its creation and the formation of its core. It is thought that only protocontinents could exist at this time due to the much higher level of tectonic and volcanic activity relative to what we experience today.”

“Fossils from this period show a collection of unusual soft-bodied animals that lived on the ocean floor. Up to this point life on earth had consisted primarily of microscopic organisms. This period saw the appearance of individual organisms large enough to have been seen by the naked eye, a shift thought to have been caused in part by rising oxygen levels in the atmosphere. These organisms predate the evolution of skeletons and other easily fossilising material.”

“Remains of woolly mammoth showing signs of human hunting have been dated to this period, providing evidence of human activity in Siberia much farther back in time than previously thought. Mammoths existed from roughly 5,000,000 years ago up until as recently as 4,500 years ago. Their extinction is thought to have been caused by a combination of climate change and the spread of advanced human hunters across the globe.”

“The precise date and location of the domestication of the modern dog is a subject of active research. It is possible that multiple domestication events occurred in different areas of the planet at different times. DNA evidence suggests however that all dogs come from an extinct gray wolf population, distinct from the modern gray wolves of today. The least wary wolves would have initially approached humans more readily, causing a gradual selection process over the generations that produced benefits for both species.”

“This period saw the transition of hunter-gatherer groups into farming societies. Growing crops and raising livestock tied people to a specific location, likely coinciding with the rise of permanent settlements. Over time this development is thought to have led to ever more complex societies, the advent of job specialization, the development of technology and advanced political structures.”

“Scientists have proposed a new epoch to mark the profound impact that modern humans have had on the earth. Debate continues over where the starting point for this boundary should begin. Suggestions include the first agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution or the first nuclear bomb detonation.”

“It is estimated that our galaxy alone contains upwards of 100,000,000,000 planets. Space telescopes such as Kepler have discovered more and more exoplanets over recent years and have already found candidates with the approximate characteristics of earth. It seems only a matter of time if this progress continues, that we will find a planet with remarkably similar characteristics to our own.”

“The Sun is currently around halfway through its expected stable lifespan. Over the next 5,000,000,000 years or so current models suggest that the sun will gradually exhaust its supply of hydrogen and steadily increase its heat output and luminosity. The Sun will become a red giant as its hydrogen supply is exhausted, expanding up to 200 times in diameter and potentially enveloping the rocky planets. The Sun will then gradually lose its outer layers, forming a planetary nebula. Its core will remain stable as a white dwarf roughly the size of the earth, gradually cooling over billions and billions of years.”