The history of our planet has been turbulent. The Earth has suffered collisions in the solar system, asteroid strikes, devastating volcanic eruptions, and repeated global climate crises. Particularly devastating events are known as periods of mass extinction.
Scientists have identified five periods of mass extinction in the past 500 million years, during which around three-quarters of species died out over a short geological time. And yet, after each of these events, the Earth has recovered, becoming covered in water and habitable once more.
This five-part series chronicles our planet’s history from its dramatic birth, through the cosmic and terrestrial forces that shaped it. We explore the rise of humanity, reconstructing the major events that created our unique habitat, and showing how life rebounded after catastrophic events.
