Evolution: The universe in your lifetime
Brian Cox and others tell me that the universe we live in arrived from a huge bang about 13,800,000,000 (13.8bn) years ago.
All the stars, planets, animals, people, and places are made from the resources generated at this moment.
The average human life is c.85 years.
Here is the timeline of our universe, compressed into a human lifetime.
87 years. (13.8bn yrs)
The universe started with a Big Bang.
29 years. (4.6bn yrs)
Earth starts to form.
22 years. (3.5bn yrs)
Earliest life develops on earth
14 years (2.3bn yrs)
The Earth gained oxygen & first life form
3.5 years. (538m yrs)
First animal evolved.
3 years. (450m yrs)
Single land mass forms on equator.
18 months. (235m yrs)
Dinosaurs present on earth.
15 months. (200m yrs)
Land forms into continental structures
7 months. (90m years)
Monkey evolves from tree shrew
5 months. (65m yrs)
Dinosaurs died out. Extinction event.
2 months. (25m years)
Catarrhni monkey evolves into Ape.
5 days. (2m yrs)
Great ape evolves into earliest human, and Brian structure develops at 1.7m yrs
17 hours. (300,000yrs)
Early Humans evolve to Homo-sapiens
6 hours. (100,000yrs)
Homo-sapiens emerge from Africa.
2h 42m. (50,000yrs)
Homo-sapiens develop language.
2h 12min. (40,000yrs)
This is the moment, just forty thousand years, or a couple of minutes ago when man emerged from his caves.
38min. (9,500bc)
Crops grown rather than foraging.
24min. (5,000bc)
Money & Kingdoms developed.
17min. (3,000bc)
Stone henge built.
16min. (2,500bc)
Pyramids built
12min. (1,300bc)
First draft of “The Bible” written.
8min. (350bc)
Aristotle declared “earth isn’t flat”.
6min 42s. (0000)
Jesus arrived.
1min 45s. (1492)
Columbus discovered America.
1min 35s. (1543)
Copernicus: Sun is centre of solar system.
1min. (1687)
Newton Theory of Gravity.
30s. (1876)
First Telephone call.
20s. (1916)
Einstein Theory of Relativity.
16s. (1939)
Second World War breaks out.
10s. (1969)
Man landed on the moon.
6s ago (1990)
Hubble telescope launched
3s ago. (2007)
First iPhone launched.
1s. (2016)
UK votes to leave EU.
Now. (2021)
You are made from about 15 trillion cells. Each of your cells are made from about 100 million atoms.
Each atom’s is made from particles that are formed from the neutrons, protons and electrons created by that very Big Bang.
So that makes you 13.8 bn years old.
You get about 17 seconds on the journey we call life. Enjoy them and use them wisely.
Paul Roebuck
Behavioural Psychotherapist
PGCEE, FETC (A.Dip).
paulsroebuck@gmail.com
+44 7838 371155
