It is difficult to conceive of the vast scale of the history of life on Earth, from the very first living organisms that developed in hydrothermal deep-sea vents to the diversity of life today. The evolution of life is a sweeping epic of a tale, with twists and turns, surprising heroes and unlikely survivors. The Earth beautifully distills this complex story into a meaningful scale. In taking a closer look at 50 carefully selected organisms over ten epochs in our planetary history, this book tells the whole story of life on Earth.

Prepare to be confounded by the ingenuity of evolutionary biologies, humbled by our own brief part in this epic history, and disquieted by our disproportionate impact on the world we call home.