Life on Earth: From Beginning to End

See if you can spot what's wrong with this picture:

Fake Jurassic Scene

Of course, you're absolutely right, you clever sods. These animals lived in the Jurassic; Grass hadn't evolved yet. It wouldn't appear until as recently as about 67 million years ago, and didn't become widespread until 10 million years after the dinosaurs became extinct.

67 million years is mere moments on the geologic clock. It's just one small example of how life in the past was very different, and how a thing we take for granted is not universal at all.

Looking at how life on Earth has evolved is not only a fascinating subject in its own right, but for a science fiction writer its a very rich source of inspiration. And not just for stories for about time travel and how accidently stepping on some small insect in the past can drastically alter the present. But, if you're looking for cool ideas about how life on Alien planets might look, then you can do far worse than dig into our own prehistory. Perhaps at some of evolutions wild experiments that didn't quite make it, and wonder 'what if...'

Of course, in the interests of fairness and balance, I also have to present the Creationist (people who for some reason believe the Bible is Gospel) point of view on these matters. So here:

God made the Earth in six days. Fossils were put into the ground by Satan to try and test us. That's it.

© 2009 John Coutelier

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