Cosmos · life · humanityOur World

Big Bang to Us

Cross changing time scales from the expanding universe to the arrival of our species.

Official Earth time scaleSelect an eon on the road to reveal its eras.ICS 2026/06 ↗

Cosmic Originsbefore Earth’s geological eons

c. 13.8 billion years agoUniverse

The Big Bang

Space, time, matter, and energy emerge from a hot, dense early state.

Within the first few hundred million yearsEarly Universe

Gravity gathers primordial gas and the cosmic dark ages begin to lift.

c. 4.54 billion years agoSolar System

Rock and metal gather around the young Sun.

At least 3.5 billion years agoEarth

Ancient rocks preserve traces of a living planet.

c. 2.4 billion years agoAtmosphere & oceans

Microbial photosynthesis changes the chemistry of Earth.

c. 1.8 billion years agoEarth

Cells with internal structures establish a new branch of life.

c. 600 million years agoGlobal oceans

Complex bodies become a visible part of the fossil record.

c. 200 million years agoEarth

Small warm-blooded animals live alongside dinosaurs.

c. 55 million years agoAfrica, Asia & Americas

Tree-dwelling mammals develop grasping hands and forward-facing eyes.

c. 7 million years agoAfrica

A lineage of African apes starts following its own evolutionary path.

c. 2.8 million years agoAfrica

New combinations of bodies, brains, tools, and behavior emerge.

c. 300,000 years agoAfrica

Our species appears within a diverse human world.