[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.84,0:00:08.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How old is the Earth?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.85,0:00:10.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, by counting the number of isotopes
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.87,0:00:12.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a sample of rock
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.21,0:00:14.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's undergone radioactive decay,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.32,0:00:16.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,geologists have estimated the Earth's birthday,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.54,0:00:18.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when it first formed from a solar nebula,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.87,0:00:21.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be 4.6 billion years ago.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.90,0:00:24.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But just how long is that really?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.21,0:00:25.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here's some analogies
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.29,0:00:27.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that might help you understand.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.26,0:00:30.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For example, let's imagine the entire history of Earth
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.53,0:00:31.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,until the present day
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.88,0:00:33.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a single calendar year.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.92,0:00:37.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On January 1st, the Earth begins to form.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:37.12,0:00:39.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,By March 3rd, there's the first evidence
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.46,0:00:41.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of single-celled bacteria.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.29,0:00:44.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Life remains amazingly unicellular until November 11th
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.85,0:00:47.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when the first multicellular organisms,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.32,0:00:50.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,known as the Ediacaran fauna, come along.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.15,0:00:54.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Shortly thereafter, on November 16th at 6:08 p.m.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.12,0:00:56.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is the Cambrian Explosion of life,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.41,0:00:57.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a major milestone,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.58,0:01:00.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when all of the modern phyla started to appear.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.41,0:01:03.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On December 10th at 1:26 p.m.,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.87,0:01:05.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the dinosaurs first evolve
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.71,0:01:07.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but are wiped out by an asteroid
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.29,0:01:09.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just two weeks later.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.29,0:01:11.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On December 31st, the mighty Roman empire
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.79,0:01:14.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rises and falls in just under four seconds.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.95,0:01:16.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And Columbus sets sail
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.04,0:01:17.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for what he thinks is India
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.50,0:01:19.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at three seconds to midnight.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.12,0:01:22.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you try to write the history of the Earth
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.07,0:01:24.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,using just one page per year,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.16,0:01:27.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,your book would be 145 miles thick,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.08,0:01:28.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more than half the distance
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.44,0:01:30.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the international space station.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.82,0:01:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The story of the 3.2 million year-old
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.00,0:01:35.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Australopithecine fossil known as Lucy
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.70,0:01:38.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would be found on the 144th mile,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.37,0:01:41.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just over 500 feet from the end of the book.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.06,0:01:44.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The United States of America's Declaration of Independence
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.87,0:01:47.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would be signed in the last half-inch.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.30,0:01:49.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or if we compared geologic time
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.33,0:01:50.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to a woman stretching her arms
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.75,0:01:52.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to a span of six feet,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.41,0:01:54.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the simple act of filing her nails
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.33,0:01:57.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would wipe away all of recorded human history.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.47,0:02:00.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Finally, let's imagine the history of the Earth as your life:
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.70,0:02:01.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from the moment you're born
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.93,0:02:03.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to your first day of high school.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.89,0:02:05.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Your first word,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.07,0:02:06.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,first time sitting up,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.19,0:02:07.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and first time walking
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.65,0:02:09.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would all take place while life on Earth
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.69,0:02:12.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was comprised of single-celled organisms.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.76,0:02:15.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, the first multicellular organism
Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.25,0:02:17.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wouldn't evolve until you were 12 years old
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.16,0:02:18.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and starting 7th grade,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.69,0:02:19.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,right around the time
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.58,0:02:21.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,your science teacher is telling the class
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.28,0:02:23.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how fossils are formed.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.38,0:02:24.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The dinosaurs don't appear
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.58,0:02:26.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,until three months into 8th grade
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.53,0:02:29.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and are soon wiped out right around spring break.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.68,0:02:31.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Three days before 9th grade begins,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.59,0:02:33.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when you realize summer is over
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.17,0:02:34.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you need new school supplies,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.88,0:02:38.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Lucy, the Australopithecine, is walking around Africa.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.64,0:02:39.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As you finish breakfast
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.86,0:02:41.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and head outside to catch your bus
Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.70,0:02:43.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,44 minutes before school,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.68,0:02:46.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Neanderthals are going extinct throughout Europe.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.82,0:02:49.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The most recent glacial period
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.19,0:02:50.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ends as your bus drops you off
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.86,0:02:52.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,16 minutes before class.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.82,0:02:55.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Columbus sets sail 50 seconds before class
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.79,0:02:58.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as you're still trying to find the right classroom.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.70,0:03:00.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Declaration of Independence is signed
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.55,0:03:02.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,28 seconds later
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.35,0:03:04.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as you look for an empty seat.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.21,0:03:08.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you were born 1.3 seconds before the bell rings.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.66,0:03:10.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, you see, the Earth is extremely,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.81,0:03:12.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,unbelievably old
Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.13,0:03:13.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,compared to us humans
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.59,0:03:14.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with a fossil record
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.85,0:03:17.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hiding incredible stories to tell us about the past
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.88,0:03:19.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and possibly the future as well.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.96,0:03:21.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But in the short time we've been here,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.71,0:03:23.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we've learned so much
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.04,0:03:24.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and will surely learn more
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.66,0:03:26.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,over the next decades and centuries,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.56,0:03:29.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,near moments in geological time.