BIOLOGY · EVOLUTION · 5 MASS EXTINCTIONS · CLASSES 8–12
Every living thing has a story. Explore ours.
From ancient microbes to humans, from fossil evidence to Earth’s five great extinction crises. Don't just memorize history. Change it, explore it, and discover why.
THE STORY OF LIFE4.54 billion yearsEarth's age · time shown is approximate
INTERACTIVE MODELWatch Earth change through time
ILLUSTRATIVE · NOT TO SCALE
DEEP TIMEExplore life's historyMove a control to investigate
MODEL · NOT ACTUAL FOOTAGE
TRAVEL THROUGH 4.54 BILLION YEARS541 Ma ago
EARTH FORMSTODAY
FOLLOW AN EXTINCTION CRISISBEFORE
Drag the time slider and watch different forms of life appear. This is a conceptual reconstruction, not a recording.
Claims versus scientific evidence
The evidence supports shared evolutionary ancestry. Claims that species were separately created and never changed contradict fossils, DNA and observed evolution. Science cannot evaluate unrestricted supernatural claims that make no testable prediction.
Model accuracy and uncertainty
Approximate dates, phylogenies and extinction percentages depend on fossil sampling and scientific interpretation. The animation shows illustrative ecological scenes, not exact species counts or real historical footage. Evolution does not itself establish how the first life originated.
LearnPlayINTERACTIVE BIOLOGY LAB