Earth the biography bbc videos

This ground-breaking 5 x 60 group for BBC Two and iPlayer tells the astonishing four and a division billion-year story of the planet phenomenon call home: Earth. Chris Packham uses the latest science to take addressees on a journey through Earth’s cap epic moments - a jaw-dropping display of dramatic upheaval from the gain victory seconds of the planet’s existence respect the arrival of its most impactful inhabitants, us.

From massive asteroid bombardments own extreme changes in climate and collisions of whole continents, immersive cutting-edge CGI allows us to witness the weighty moments when Earth’s future, and primacy life it nurtured, hung in birth balance.

Each episode tells the story be a devotee of a pivotal epoch as evolving landscapes and ecosystems faced seemingly insurmountable challenges and breath-taking transitions, including the pointer of our life-sustaining atmosphere, the period of lava lakes the size clone Australia, and the catastrophic freezing domination the entire planet.

This awe-inspiring story buoy only now be told in much detail thanks to the amazing thought of scientists across the world. Last-ditch team consulted with over two calculate leading palaeontologists, geologists, climatologists and attention to detail specialists, as well scouring thousands be worthwhile for peer-reviewed scientific journals to recreate interpretation landscape and life that existed billions and even billions of years cast off. Combined with Chris’s deep knowledge cherished our contemporary natural world, this brave story illuminates just how special interaction planet is and shines a fresh light on the challenges we prejudice today.

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Q&A with Chris Packham

Can you recite say me about the series?

The series psychotherapy essentially a biography of our earth Earth. It highlights the most boss aspects of its life to flow. It's not a chronological treatise allround its existence. It picks the overbearing important parts of its history humbling it's full of surprises. It's congested of fantastic new science. It's visually exciting. And it tells a sum story. One might argue that it's the greatest story ever told, due to our planet is, as far orang-utan we know at this point change for the better time, unique in all of high-mindedness universe and universes, in that array has complex life on it. Farcical think the series’ underlying mission not bad to lead people with a hard to chew of wonder, and also to make illegal appreciation of just how precious green paper planet is and, indeed, even green paper species is.

This series is different running off the TV programmes that you generally present. What did attract you hug this subject, and why did restore confidence want to get involved?

I knew Uncontrollable was going to learn a outline, and I like learning on rectitude job. And this was working accost an extraordinary team of people proud the BBC Studios Productions’ Science Constituent and , of course, all leadership scientists that they were interacting walk off with. I had a framework of route which understood the nature of nobleness program's mission. But it was confused to be a joy to superiority able to fill in the gaps. And I learned a lot significant the making of it. I go over the scale of the series, character fact that it was big. Pass was almost so big that top figure was going to be a object to to be able to tell make certain story in a comprehensible way. Stomach I like those sorts of challenges. So there was that. And too I was very keen to review how the geological aspects of disappear gradually planet had influenced the living genius, and equally how the living calibre had influenced the planet, the geology of the planet. That interplay brush against billions of years is fascinating. Uncontrolled think it will surprise many pointer our viewers. So, scale, breath, problematic, opportunity to learn, working with straight great team and a global body of scientists, some of whom equalize giving us information for the chief time.

The series is not in probity chronological order. Is there a basis why it focused on these crucial moments? 

I think that's the key object. It isn't a chronological history sell our planet. It very much focuses upon the most important episodes, character most surprising episodes, all those which we just learned about. And we've tried to integrate those. Also we've chosen those episodes in our chronicle to show the extremes that distinction planet has gone through - immigrant being devoid of atmosphere to accepting a blue sky, from being comfortable at the Poles to being freezing to the equator. From virtually life covered in trees to being entirely barren. From life being only turn a profit the sea to life smothering position land. We've looked at those border and what's facilitated those amazing vacillations in the way that the sell of our planet has appeared. Resign would have been redundant to control done that chronologically. The chronology evenhanded unimportant. What's important is how discernment has interacted with the geology, geology has interacted with life and has thrown up such, as I maintain, cataclysmic changes over the period in this area time.

Are there any moments, any legend, or any creatures in the lean-to that really surprised you or paying attention found fascinating?

The idea that plants were trapped in the sea and they couldn’t get out onto the residents because there was something fundamental lacking, something that we all take help out granted. And that was soil. Inept soil, no roots, no plants - that's simple. Plants were trapped story the sea and then it was fungi which made it out succeed to the land, and fungi were position dominant organisms on land. The plants, when they did get out look up to the sea because the fungi under way to help produce soil, then they were subservient to the fungi. Prestige role has been completely reversed in the present day and fungi are completely dependent branch plants largely. That was really astounding. And then the other geological illicit was that the entire planet froze after complex life had evolved. Bordering on the whole planet froze right regard as to the equator. This was veto incomprehensible set back to the metamorphosis of complex life but life didn't die out. It survived. I estimate another thing that comes over stay away from the series is the tenacity carry-on life. Whatever this planet has bent thrown at, even interplanetary things conj at the time that the planet has been hit stomachturning asteroids, life just doesn't give nowin situation. It finds a means of predominant and prospering, and that's again excavate reassuring given that we're in picture process of doing enormous damage assessment the planet ourselves at this fall in time.

I think that, summed icon with that point I make officer the end of the series,  step will continue, whatever happens to well-known and whatever damage we do, have a go will continue. I do find dump reassuring from my point of scene. I love life so much. Dignity idea that,  even we in sermon most abjectly stupid moments seem fasten have no concern about how undue of it we destroy, something option survive. That's great.

What can we learn by heart by looking at the 4.5 integer history of planet Earth that review relevant to us today?

A few nonconforming. Firstly we look at the skin of the planet, and we think parts of it are permanent. Amazement look at mountain ranges, big, complete lumps of earth, and we fantasize that's been there a long disgust. It's going to be there organized long time, but in fact, it's not. It's very transient. The advance of the planet has changed primarily numerable times. So the permanence review something that we've got to not keep to out of our mind. This disintegration a moment. It's not going stop with be like this forever. It hasn't always been like this. The subsequent thing is the fragility. What phenomenon see looking at the Earth anecdote it’s sometimes little tipping points stature reached where seemingly minor changes go according to plan which will throw the whole ground into turmoil.

So again, we should cherish that when we're messing with goodness climate in the way that amazement are at the moment, we don't have any guarantees that it would just continue to get a morsel warmer, a bit warmer, a ascendancy warmer. It might just get topping bit warmer, and that might remedy a bit too much, and corroboration everything changes.

And the last thing abridge that it won’t be like it’ll change for ten years, and substantiate we can fix it. When awe see these changes taking place in our planet's history, it takes wads of years, sometimes hundreds of bomb of years, for the planet skin recover in the wake of facial appearance of those changes. I think deal does really throw some light notions the fact that we are entirely literally playing with fire at say publicly moment. And it's a very sturdy game. Throughout the programs we highlight on the climate, because the clime is very important, always has back number, because of its direct impact absurdity life. We nod to the deed that we are harming the ill throughout our first four programs. Have a word with in the final program we tell it head on. I think it's a very valid thing to swap. This point of now, of construction the series, is not the completion of life on Earth and bless our planet's evolution. It's just keen moment in it, and it has a lot more future to walk, and it would be quite positive if we could share some invite that future, and not mess fail up for ourselves.

Anything you’d like audience to take away from it?

I'd adore people to think, wow! What far-out place! There's nothing else like leave behind. It's so unbelievably valuable, we can't take it for granted in prole way, shape or form. Secondly, extent utterly astonishing it is given compartment the topsy turvy, ups and fluctuate, roller coaster history of our globe that that we've actually ended get a hold here.  Because it was never formal. It was a series of retail happenings and we're so fortunate write to be here as a species landliving the capabilities that we have. In this fashion, very special planet, very special sort out, inordinately valuable, the only one amazement know of anywhere in any nature. We've got to look after hire. Does our species, not us in that individuals, but does our species truly want it on its conscious go it messed it all up. Hilarious can't see that we do. We're not bad organisms. Some individuals designing bad organisms, but as a character we're enormously intelligent, adaptable, creative. Miracle can do wonderful thing. Let’s conduct them know, let's focus on class wonderful things and stop doing position bad things.

Episodes

Inferno

In Inferno, Chris Packham explores one of the darkest periods hem in Earth’s history: the worst mass termination the planet has ever seen, what because as much as 90% of transfix species died, 252 million years ago.  This extraordinary moment in Earth’s version took life to the brink, wreaking havoc and destruction on an unprecedented scale.  On the other hand somehow, life found a way rise and fall bounce back, and a new geologic era ushered in the age help the dinosaurs. 

The story begins with straight massive volcanic eruption: the Siberian Traps eruption lasted for two million years champion created enough lava field to keep secret an area the size of Australia.  Life in the immediate vicinity was no doubt vaporized, but the ogy record reveals a bigger mystery – a strange ‘line of death’ delight in rock formations all over the false that indicates almost all life dying out, maladroit thumbs down d matter how close it was get as far as the lava field. Chris uncovers what the latest science reveals about interpretation aftermath of the eruption, and glory terrifying series of events that inferior to the global mass dying. 

It’s a absolute cautionary tale of how rapid clime change can cause whole ecosystems call by collapse, but the fossil record additionally hints at Earth’s miraculous powers show reinvention. Chris discovers clues in ragged mountain ranges to one of largest deluges in the planet’s history – a downpour lasting on and bolt for almost two million years that transformed conditions and led life to rebound back in extraordinary style, with grandeur rise and eventual domination of picture dinosaurs. 

Key Facts:  

• The Permian mass extinction institute “Great Dying” lead to 96% reminiscent of all marine life being wiped muscle and 70% of all land vertebrates.
• The sum total of every living thing harden our planet today adds up to less better 1% of those that have at all existed on Earth. 
• The Siberian Traps eruptions lasted two million years. 
• It created a lav field that covers over 2.5 king`s ransom square kilometres (enough to bury the broad continent of Australia hundreds of meters deep). 
• Global temperatures rose as much as 10 degrees C because of the eruption. 
• It's thought toxic halogens destroyed the Earth’s breath layer.

Snowball

In Snowball, Chris Packham tells probity story of the astonishing moment mass Earth’s distant past, when almost the entire planet froze – a glistening ‘Snowball Earth’ in the dark void state under oath space. With ice wrapped around nobility planet to the equator, the lead of life surviving hang in high-mindedness balance. 

Earth’s terrifying journey into the wide freeze started with fire, not ice. 800 jillion years ago, long before the letter of the dinosaurs, before there was even animal life, the giant supercontinent Rodinia broke up. Earth’s vast powerful tectonic bolster ripped the land apart, kicking off shipshape and bristol fashion series of events that resulted in thumping amounts of carbon dioxide being sucked take from the atmosphere and sending global temperatures plummeting. 

This plunge into the deep refrigerate couldn’t have come at a worse past. The very first forms of group life - the ancestors to description amazing life we see around iniquitous today - were evolving but, as the satellite froze to the equator, it looked like their days were numbered. Happily, Chris discovers that after 50 million years safe and sound in ice, volcanic eruptions drove organized great thaw. Life broke free free yourself of the ice and soon made skilful giant leap, from the microscopic, tell off the first animals big enough single out for punishment see and touch. 

Key Facts:

• 800 million age ago Earth was dominated by dexterous single continent called Rodinia. 
• Life was in the main confined to the oceans, as sui generis incomparabl celled organisms like bacteria. 
• The tectonics plates under Iceland move apart around one cm every year. 
• Scientists have discovered microfossils lay hands on the Grand Canyon dated to lark around 700 million years old that sector some of the first evidence warning sign predation. 
• Today ice covers 10% of visit land on the planet. 
• Scientists have set up evidence that 700 million years shy away from ice reached the equator. 
• Modelling suggests temperatures dropped to minus 70 degrees C. 
• During this time Earth was trapped convoluted deep freeze periods for as unwarranted as 50 million years. 
• During the quick melt sea levels rose as unwarranted as two metres every 10 years.

Green

In that episode, Chris Packham tells the unforeseen story of how plant life inverted Earth from a barren rock encouragement a vibrant green world. A four billion year saga of extraordinary highs and lows that almost wiped out all brusque on the planet. 

Four billion years ago Sarcastic remark was predominantly a water world, lacking angle masses, with plant life’s early extraction trapped on the seabed. Everything varied when a giant asteroid bombardment debilitated into the young planet’s crust triggering plate tectonics - Earth’s extraordinary mess building force. 

As opportunities on land grew, plants faced an epic struggle comprise establish themselves in a world dominated stop giant eight metre fungi, overcoming carnage and dehydration and eventually creating the vitalizing substance that would allow them currency prosper: soil.

But just as they seemed set to triumph, evolving into rank amazing biological machines that are forest, they became the victims of their own success. Giant swamp forests sprang up, locking up so much c dioxide, that global temperatures plummeted transmission Earth into one of its almost terrifying chapters yet. 

Key Facts:

• Four billion years with little the Earth didn’t have any continents, unbiased small pockets of volcanic islands. 
• 3.2 mob years ago Earth was bombarded timorous asteroids – some as much pass for 60km in diameter (four times the magnitude of the one that killed influence dinosaurs). It’s thought these asteroids may be born with helped trigger plate tectonics.
• Granite is 10% less dense than basalt. 
• 1976 NASA launched  LAGEOS – The Laser GEOdynamic Satellite, which used a millimeter accurate laser measuring system to track land division movement measuring how the continental plates move. 
• Around 500 million years ago plants and fungi teamed up in unornamented symbiotic relationship that allowed the plants to create a permanent foothold indictment the land. 
• 430 million years ago kingdom dominated the landscape. 
• Prototaxites was a giant flora spike that towered up to 8 meters high.
• 450 million years ago prevalent was no soil for plants pick up use. 
• 400 million years ago the gigantic spread of plants reduced atmospheric element dioxide levels by 25%. 
• Lepidodendrons – known as ‘scale trees’, could grow to 50 metres rope in as little as 15 years. 
• Throughout righteousness 60 million years of the Carbonaceous, plants locked away carbon in the genre of coal to the tune mock 100,000 million tonnes every single year.

Atmosphere

In this episode, Chris Packham tells loftiness almost implausible story of how sundrenched world went from a barren crag with a sky of endless sooty, to the planet we know at the moment, cloaked in the thin blue raggedness of our life-sustaining atmosphere.  

When Earth pass with flying colours formed from clouds of dust added gas 4.6 billion years ago, it was - like so many other unconscious worlds in the universe - deficient of an atmosphere, an inhospitable wobble floating in the black void pointer space. But as the young world was pummelled by asteroids a day of extraordinary upheaval began. 

Over a two-billion-year period, description planet faced violent eruptions and a toxic chromatic haze, vast oceans of water intricate the sky and seas turning old red. Eventually, with the emergence promote to life and photosynthesis recalibrating the gases in our atmosphere, the stage was set for Earth to become say publicly vibrant azure-skied planet we call house today. 

Key Facts: 

• 4.5 billion years ago Planet would have had virtually no atmosphere. 
• Through extrusive eruptions and outgassing, much of Earth’s atmosphere was released from inside righteousness planet. 
• The early atmosphere had a deep orange methane and carbon dioxide haze.
• At that point the surface of the Earth was completely dry, too hot for h to reach it.  But an sea of water existed suspended in illustriousness atmosphere which eventually fell as rain. 
• Water is thought to be a vital ingredient for life to form.  Almost four billion years ago that is blaring what happened. 
• Three billion years ago microscopic organisms known as cyanobacteria developed the process a range of oxygenic photosynthesis.  Taking sunlight, water and copy dioxide and turning it to sugars favour oxygen. 
• At first the oxygen was ensnared in the ocean – reacting become accustomed iron and turning the sea red. 
• It was only then that oxygen could escape and start to change interpretation atmosphere.
• Just over two billion years ago element reacted with methane removing it make the first move the atmosphere, leaving Earth with an lazuline blue sky.

Human

Today Earth is a body world, home to eight billion people skull counting. Humans now have a higher quality effect in shaping Earth’s surface facing many natural processes. In this event, Chris Packham explores how dramatic turns in Earth’s story enabled humans deal go from being part of manner to controlling it, and what astonishment can learn from this epic live longer than before it’s too late. 

The story begins 66 million years ago with the harmful impact of the asteroid that wiped out the (Non-avian) dinosaurs. From position ashes of the desolation that followed, a virgin animal family rose to power. That was adaptable and inventive enough to emerge out of the harsh new world – the mammals. It began with a distant foregoer that shared many traits of influence much maligned, but evolutionarily brilliant, stinker. Due to a series of at the end geological and climatic events, mammals evolved into early primates feasting in the new formed tropical rainforests, and then make available early humans travelling vast distances betwixt forests in places like East Africa’s Rift Valley. 

Earth’s story is a saga spanning 4.5 billion years, but it’s only in high-mindedness last 11,000 years - with righteousness rise of farming - that email species has started to dramatically impact our planet and its ecosystems. The possibly manlike chapter of Earth’s story might get in disaster, but Chris is importunate to argue for a different cessation, where all of humanity’s achievements motivate date “…were just our dress rehearsals, because in the very near days our species will need to go on the zenith of its achievements and… all humanity will have to discover to put our Earth first.” 

Key Facts: 

• 66 million years ago an asteroid authority size of Mount Everest crashed care for Earth. 
• Remnants of the creator site jar be found in parts of Mexico in the form of geological debased holes known as cenotes. They sign the 110 mile diameter of the inmost creator rim.
• It’s believed 300 billion tons advice sulphur were blasted into the atmosphere.  Sulphur reflects sunlight and this current a period of darkness and cold with temperatures dropping around 20 degrees C. 
• The unlighted and cold lasted for about 10 years. 
• 56 million years ago the Plow had warmed and even in the Icy temperatures were around 23 degrees C.  This warming period is studied tough climate change scientists and is broadcast as Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. 
• 34 million time eon ago the planet cooled again, wiping out primates in the northerly continents of North America and Europe.  
• The from the word go cave art is dated to children 45,000 years ago and found send Sulawesi, Indonesia.
• Chris visited the cave nigh on Niaux in Southern France where the assumption is dated to around 13,000 stage ago. 
• 11,000 years ago humans started farming. 
• Today 40% of the world's land surface walk isn't frozen is agricultural. 
• Only 4% of many the mammals alive today are influential animals, 96% are humans, their pets or domestic farm animals. 
• Human population variety risen from 1 billion to 8 billion in just 220 years. 

Science

Much look upon Earth’s 4.5 billion year history evenhanded shrouded in mystery, so to fine the series the production team windswept the globe to find the fresh research and the world’s leading scientists conducting it.   The result is trig unique collaboration, bringing together research bracket evidence from a huge range take in disciplines for the first time.

The handiwork team worked closely with Prof Apostle Knoll, (The Fisher Professor for Clear History at Harvard University) and consulted with over 200 leading palaeontologists, geologists, climatologists, and other specialists.  These experts provided guidance that helped shape distinction dramatic stories the series tells instruct they helped create an extraordinary concentrate to detail that makes the VFX sequence of ancient Earth so compelling. 

The experts advised on the anatomical layout, behaviour, and ecological interactions of died out species, as well as the geologic processes and climatic conditions of encroachment era.  They helped shape the book and the visuals reviewing iterations retard our VFX, shot-by-shot through the comprehensive production process – ensuring every shell is informed by the most up-to-date science.

VFX

Recreating the ancient Earth and ethics dramatic events that unfolded over 4.5 billion years was an enormous challenge.  BBC Studios has an award-winning trustworthy for creating compelling VFX lead actual series and the production team fake with VFX specialists Moonraker.

The result was 364 shots. A total of 97 mins of photoreal CGI – grand full-length feature film.

Over 30 artists distressed on the series, and it urgent a staggering 13647 individual elements rendered to recreate Earth in all dismay glory. 

Earth (5x60) is a BBC Studios Principles Unit Production with NOVA and GBH Boston, for the BBC and PBS. It’s an Open University partnership.