One way to try to comprehend the awesome abyss of Deep Time is to envision the whole history of earth as taking place over the course of a single twenty four hour day. On the scale nothing stirs until six am. Earth is a dead place for nearly the first quarter of its existence. The morning and afternoon and most of the evening are primitive but eventful: simple celled bacteria evolve into more complex multi cellular organisms. Sexual reproduction brings still greater variety and diversification. Life partitions itself into plant and animal kingdoms. Yet the day is all but gone before much of anything resembling modern life forms develop. Dinosaurs don't show up until around 10:40 pm. Humans arrive on the scene after 11:58 pm. Civilization, the whole great passionate drama of recorded history from the pharaohs to the internet takes place the last second before midnight.
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November 2017
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