Once upon a time, in a boundless space filled with nothingness but a cloud of cold dust particles swirling through empty space. This cloud of gas and dust was disturbed, perhaps by some natural force, and the cloud of gas and dust started to collapse as gravity pulled everything together, forming a solar nebula—a huge spinning disk.
As it spun, the disk separated into rings, and the furious motion made the particles white-hot. The center of the disk accreted to become the Sun, a massive, hot ball, and the particles in the outer rings turned into large fiery balls of gas and molten-liquid that cooled and condensed to take on solid form.
About 4.5 billion years ago, they began to turn into the planets that we know today as Earth, Mars, Venus, Mercury, and the outer planets.
The story revolves around the chosen one, Earth, which had the most diverse amount of resources.
Earth was born 4.5 billion years ago. The first era in which the Earth existed is what is known as the Hadean Eon. This consisted of the Earth's surface being under continuous bombardment by meteorites and intense volcanism, which is believed to have been severe due to the large heat flow and geothermal gradient dated to this era.
Outgassing and volcanic activity produced the primordial atmosphere, and evidence exists that liquid water existed at this time, despite the conditions on the surface. Condensing water vapor, augmented by ice delivered by comets, accumulated in the atmosphere and cooled the molten exterior of the planet to form a solid crust and produced the oceans.
It was also during this eon—roughly 4.48 billion years ago—that the Earth's only satellite, the Moon, was formed. It happened when a planetoid named Theia, akin in size to Mars, collided with the young Earth. The collision was enough to vaporize some of the Earth's outer layers and melt both bodies, and a portion of the mantle material was ejected into orbit around the Earth. The ejecta in orbit around the Earth condensed, and under the influence of its gravity, became a more spherical body, the Moon.
Thus, resulting in the end of the Hadeon eon and starting the Archean Eon.
Early in Earth's history, volcanic activity was rampant, with numerous volcanoes spewing gases and molten rock onto the planet's surface. These volcanic emissions, known as volcanic outgassing, released large amounts of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and other gases into the atmosphere.
During the early stages of planetary formation, Earth was bombarded by comets, asteroids, and planetesimals. Some of these celestial bodies contained significant amounts of water ice. When they collided with Earth, they released water vapor into the atmosphere, contributing to the growing water content. As the Earth cooled from its initial molten state, the temperature dropped, causing water vapor in the atmosphere to condense into liquid water.
This process led to the formation of vast bodies of water on the planet's surface, initially in the form of primordial oceans or "hadean seas."
Along with the accumulation of liquid water, hydrothermal activity played a crucial role in shaping Earth's oceans during the Archean Eon. Hydrothermal vents, located on the ocean floor, released mineral-rich water heated by volcanic activity. These vents contributed essential minerals and nutrients to the oceans, fostering early life forms.
Even after the initial formation of oceans, water delivery mechanisms continued to replenish Earth's water reservoirs. This included ongoing volcanic outgassing, impacts from water-rich asteroids and comets, and the gradual release of water trapped in minerals within the Earth's crust.
As photosynthetic organisms, such as cyanobacteria, emerged and began to produce oxygen through photosynthesis, the oxygen levels in Earth's atmosphere increased. This oxygenation had profound effects on the chemistry of the oceans, contributing to the formation of minerals and the evolution of life.
During the early stages of Earth's formation, the planet was a molten mass of rock and metal due to intense heat generated by gravitational accretion and radioactive decay. As Earth began to cool, heavier materials like iron and nickel sank towards the center, forming the core, while lighter materials rose to the surface, forming the early crust.
The cooling of Earth's surface led to the formation of a global magma ocean. As this magma ocean cooled further, minerals and rocks began to crystallize and solidify, forming the first continental crustal rocks known as proto-continents or proto-cratons. These early crustal formations were likely small and scattered.
Subduction zones and volcanic activity in the early oceans led to the formation of island arcs and microcontinents composed of volcanic and sedimentary rocks. These island arcs collided with each other and with the proto-continents, contributing to the growth of larger landmasses.
The cooling and solidification of magma chambers beneath the surface led to the formation of granite, a common rock type in continental crust. Granite is less dense than basaltic oceanic crust, making it buoyant and conducive to forming stable continental landmasses known as cratons.
Through processes like accretion, collision, and amalgamation, cratons—large stable blocks of continental crust—began to form. These cratons acted as building blocks for supercontinents like Rodinia and Pangaea, which formed and broke apart multiple times over geological history.
Throughout Earth's history, tectonic processes such as plate tectonics, subduction, and continental collision continued to shape and modify the continental crust. Mountain ranges, such as the Himalayas and the Andes, formed through continental collisions, folding, and faulting.
The processes of erosion, sedimentation, metamorphism, and volcanic activity continue to shape and modify Earth's continental crust to this day. The crust is not static but rather undergoes constant renewal and transformation over geological timescales.
During the Hadean Eon and early Archean Eon, Earth was a harsh and inhospitable environment, with extreme heat, volcanic activity, and a lack of oxygen in the atmosphere. However, it contained key elements necessary for life, including carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur.
In the primitive Earth's surface layers, the primordial soup consisting of carbon, hydrogen, water vapor, and ammonia reacted to form the first organic compounds.
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The earliest life forms on Earth were likely simple, single-celled organisms known as prokaryotes, which lack a nucleus and organelles. These prokaryotes, including bacteria and archaea, thrived in Earth's early oceans and hydrothermal vents, utilizing various metabolic pathways and adapting to diverse environments.
Photosynthetic organisms, such as cyanobacteria, evolved around 3.5 billion years ago and began producing oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. This led to the Great Oxygen round 2.4 billion years ago, marking a significant shift in Earth's atmosphere and paving the way for the evolution of more complex life forms, including eukaryotic cells, multicellular organisms, and eventually, plants, animals, and fungi.
During The Great Oxygen Catastrophe, Cyanobacteria and other photosynthetic organisms have already evolved and are thriving in Earth's oceans, producing oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Photosynthetic organisms, particularly cyanobacteria, continue to flourish, steadily increasing the production of oxygen. Initially, oxygen produced by photosynthesis reacts with gases like methane and iron in the atmosphere and oceans, forming compounds such as rust and methane hydrates, which act as sinks for oxygen.
The concentration of atmospheric oxygen reaches a critical threshold, leading to the onset of the Great Oxygen Catastrophe.
Oxygen sinks such as iron minerals and methane hydrates become saturated, unable to absorb more oxygen, resulting in the accumulation of free oxygen in the atmosphere. With the rise in atmospheric oxygen levels, widespread oxidation of Earth's surface materials occurs. Iron-rich minerals and rocks on the surface oxidize, leading to the formation of distinct red and orange-colored geological formations known as banded iron formations. Sulfur compounds in the atmosphere and oceans also oxidize, contributing to the formation of sulfate minerals.
The Great Oxygen Catastrophe has a significant impact on the evolution of life. Oxygen becomes available as a powerful electron acceptor, enabling more efficient energy production through aerobic respiration.
This facilitates the evolution of complex multicellular organisms and the diversification of life forms, leading to the emergence of new ecological niches.
After the Archean Eon, which lasted from approximately 4 to 2.5 billion years ago, the start of a new eon called Proterozoic Eon established.
The Proterozoic Eon followed the Archean Eon and spanned a vast period of Earth's history. During this eon, Earth's atmosphere underwent significant changes, including the Great Oxidation Event around 2.4 billion years ago, which led to a substantial increase in atmospheric oxygen levels.
Throughout the Proterozoic Eon, Earth's continents continued to evolve through processes like plate tectonics, collision, and fragmentation.
Supercontinents such as Rodinia and later Pangaea formed and broke apart multiple times, influencing global climate patterns, ocean circulation, and the distribution of landmasses.
The origin of eukaryotes is believed to have involved processes such as endosymbiosis, where one prokaryotic cell engulfed another, leading to the development of mitochondria and chloroplasts. The evolution of eukaryotic life forms paved the way for the diversification of multicellular organisms, including algae, fungi, and eventually, complex plants and animals.
During the Proterozoic Eon, Earth experienced episodes of extreme glaciation known as "Snowball Earth" events. These events, characterized by extensive ice coverage and cold global temperatures, had profound impacts on Earth's climate, ocean chemistry, and the evolution of life.
Towards the end of the Proterozoic Eon, during the Ediacaran Period, Earth saw the emergence of diverse and enigmatic life forms known as the Ediacaran biota.
The subsequent Cambrian Period, marking the beginning of the Phanerozoic Eon, witnessed the "Cambrian Explosion," a rapid diversification of multicellular life forms including complex animals with hard shells, skeletons, and other advanced features.
Towards the end of the Proterozoic Eon, during the Ediacaran Period , Earth saw the emergence of diverse and enigmatic life forms known as the Ediacaran biota.
The subsequent Cambrian Period, marking the beginning of the Phanerozoic Eon, witnessed the "Cambrian Explosion," a rapid diversification of multicellular life forms including complex animals with hard shells, skeletons, and other advanced features.
The Phanerozoic Eon, which began around 541 million years ago, is characterized by the proliferation of diverse and complex life forms, including marine life, terrestrial plants, insects, reptiles, dinosaurs, mammals, and eventually, humans.
The key to that great Phanerozoic expansion appears to lie in the development of plants able to carry out the photosynthetic process and thus release free oxygen into the atmosphere. Before that time, Earth’s atmosphere contained negligible amounts of free oxygen, and animals, in which energy transfers involving the process of respiration are critical, were unable to develop.
Phanerozoic Eon consisted of Multicellular organisms and animals made extinct by the Ordovician–Silurian event 450 million years ago. Sponges and trilobites emerge.
Around 443 million years ago, 85% of all species on Earth went extinct in the Ordovician-Silurian extinction. The extinction was a most likely a result of global cooling and reduced sea levels, which dramatically impacted the many marine species living in warm, shallow coastal waters.
Which then started the sponge age which later on Sponges made extinct by the Late Devonian event 375 million years ago. Trilobites became dominant.
The Late Devonian extinction consisted of several extinction events in the Late Devonian Epoch, which collectively represent one of the five largest mass extinction events in the history of life on Earth. In the Devonian Period. Overall, 19% of all families and 50% of all genera became extinct.
Which marked the end of Sponge Age and the start of Trilobite age, Trilobites made extinct by the Permian–Triassic event 252 million years ago. Archosaurs became dominant.
It is Earth's most severe known extinction event, with the extinction of 57% of biological families, 83% of genera, 81% of marine species, and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species. It is also the greatest known mass extinction of insects. It is the greatest of the "Big Five" mass extinctions of the Phanerozoic.
The start of the Archosaur Age, Archosaurs and amphibians made extinct by the Triassic–Jurassic event 201 million years ago. Dinosaurs became dominant. The Triassic–Jurassic event is one of the top five major extinction events of the Phanerozoic eon, profoundly affecting life on land and in the oceans. In the seas, the entire class of conodonts and 23–34% of marine genera disappeared. On land, all archosauromorphs other than crocodylomorphs, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs became extinct; some of the groups that died out were previously abundant, such as aetosaurs, phytosaurs, and rauisuchids. Some remaining non-mammalian therapsids and many of the large temnospondyl amphibians had become extinct prior to the Jurassic as well.
Dinosaurs made extinct by the Cretaceous–Paleogene event 66 million years ago. Mammals and birds became dominant.
With this, it marks the start of the Ice Age. An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and greenhouse periods, during which there are no glaciers on the planet.
Now the real story starts, revolving around an adult Neanderthal who was hunting animals for himself and his sister.
*Rustle, rustle, rustle* A deer was seen running away in a forest. A man-like figure was chasing it with a spear in his hand. After reaching at least 30 meters between him and the deer, he threw the spear towards the deer and it instantly pierced right through the deer's head, killing it.
His sister was following him from behind. He approached the deer, carried it on his shoulder, and waved back at his sister, gesturing for her to go back home.
After reaching the cave, he picked some basswood he had collected from the forest and started to grind a slab of basswood with another basswood until a spark of flame ignited, and fire was created.
He then later cooked the meat of the deer, precisely cut by his sister, and ate
it at nighttime while his sister slept, and he was on guard duty.