Earth Clock the history of our planet in 24 hours

About this book

If the Earth’s entire history was translated into 24 hours, modern humans would have only appeared in the final second. This book is a fascinating treasure trove of information about the previous 4.4 billion years. Given how much detail on our planet’s landscape, plants and animals is packed into it, it is impressively readable, with complicated events described in a comprehensive way. This is not just for science, geology or nature fans, although they will love it – it provides context for the incredible biodiversity that has evolved to exist now. Trivia fans will be delighted to know that one of the first living things on land was a giant millipede and that there was no oxygen in the air until 2.4 billion years ago, when ocean plants released it through photosynthesis.

The colour illustrations by Nic Jones bring various extinct species vividly back to life, even making giant bugs look appealing. There is a timeline and index at the back, inviting rereads. And there is an exhortation to the reader to consider whether humans are likely to become extinct in the future, and whether they might work together to save this amazing planet. Fascinating and thought-provoking.