GRADUATE SCHOOL

Name: ASPIAH K. ANDAM

Instructor/Professor: MOHAMAD ALI E. RAMBER

Course: GEN SCI 604

Introduction

“The Whole History of the Earth and Life” is a documentary which portrays the birth of the solar
system, the birth of the Earth, and the emergence and evolution of life on Earth depicted
through our latest research activities. This was supported by Hadean Bioscience Project Grant in
Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology ELSI. Shigenori Maruyama was the executive producer and supervising
director of this documentary. Ken Kurokawa and Hiromitsu Kohsaka was also the producer and
Director of this documentary which was also edited and narrated by Jeff Gdert.

Plot summary

This documentary film was comprises into 12 sub topic parts: The origin of the Earth, Initiation
of plate Tectonics, Birth of Proto-life, The Initial stage of life, Second stage of Evolution of Life
Third stage of Evolution of Life, The Dawn of the Cambrian Explosion, The Cambrian
Explosion, The Paleozoic Era, From the Mesozoic to the birth of human, The Humanozoic eon,
and Future of the earth.

Description

Prehistoric Earth formed about 4.560 billion years ago, and the Solar System
formed 4.567 billion years ago. The early Earth was a barren, arid planet
without an ocean or atmosphere at this time. But 4.37–4.20 billion years ago, it
was bombarded by a large number of icy planetesimals, which created an
ocean and atmosphere. Even though plate tectonics started, life could not have
developed because of the poisonous ocean's high concentration of heavy
metals, salinity, and acidity. Primitive life was about to emerge in an
underground cave of a nuclear geyser. An enormous amount of building blocks
of life were continuously produced with the ionizing radiation of a natural
nuclear reactor. Gradually, the building blocks of life were evolving into first
proto-life through the form of an ectosymbiont.

The first proto-life, born in a natural nuclear geyser, was periodically splashed
onto the Hadean surface environment, where they evolved into the second
stage of proto-life which utilized solar energy to survive. However, they perished
once exposed to the toxic ocean. Finally, after repeated mass extinctions, the
third stage of proto-life emerged: the first prokaryote and ancestor of animals
and plants which could survive the external environment such as Toxic Ocean.
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The first photosynthetic bacteria were anaerobic microbes, which produced no
oxygen. Through time, life developed the mechanism to utilize oxygen to
produce more energy, recorded in the appearance of cyanobacteria. Around
2.7 billion years ago, due to the cooling of the Earth’s interior, the old slab of
the primordial crust, which had been transferred to the bottom of the upper
mantle by plate tectonics where it had stagnantly rested, collapsed to the lower
mantle. Ensuing abundant mantle plumes ascended from the lower mantle to
the upper mantle, a distinct event known as mantle overturn.

2.3 billion years ago, the Milky Way Galaxy collided with a dwarf galaxy
resulting in a supernova explosion that produced abundant cosmic rays. Due
to the degeneration of the heliosphere, cosmic rays struck the Earth, promoting
the formation of clouds which eventually enveloped the Earth Due to the thick
cloud envelope, the Earth experienced global glaciation, called the Snowball
Earth, which caused global mass extinction. However, some Prokaryotes
survived the Snowball Earth to evolve into larger life as an endosymbiotic
system. At last, eukaryotes appeared.

Free oxygen produced by cyanobacteria gradually accumulated in the

atmosphere. When the soil covered the dead cyanobacteria, more oxygen
accumulated and atmospheric oxygen dramatically increased. “The Leaking
Earth" phenomenon that started about 700 million years ago further expanded
both the land, and free oxygen in the atmosphere, resulting in the expansion of
the habitat of life that led to explosive biological evolution.

In order to survive the repetitive periods of extreme cold and extreme heat, life
evolved into a symbiotic body of multiple lifeforms, and the Ediacaran and
Cambrian fauna and flora emerged. In the evolution of these organisms, the
Stem evolution occurred along the continental breakup area, which encouraged
the creation of a new species.

In the early Paleozoic era, the salt concentration in the ocean had decreased to
about twice the current level, and the habitat of organisms spread into the
ocean. After vertebrates were born, they evolved over time from fish into
amphibians, reptiles, and then dinosaurs and mammals. And, the co-evolution
of plants and insects also progressed on land. At the end of the Paleozoic era,
Paleozoic animals became extinct because of the collision between the dark
nebula and the solar system.

The Mesozoic is the period when dinosaurs reigned at the top of the ecosystem.
Stem evolution caused the emergence of new species where the continent split
apart, while Crown evolution has led to species diversification through the
amalgamation of continents. While dinosaurs spread throughout the world via
this process, mammals were also born 250 million years ago, and flourished
after dinosaurs went extinct. And primates, leading to the appearance of
human beings, were born about 100 million years ago.
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Human beings are morphologically a kind of primate, but we have invented
science and civilization due to our very complex and highly developed brains.
From this point of view, human beings can be regarded as "the fourth animal
category", which is completely different from other life. The birth of human
beings is one of the most significant events in Earth-life history, and we can
regard this period as the Humanozoic era. Humans will eventually create self-
replicating robots and go out into space.

As a result of the fact that the Earth has been cooling since its birth, the
depletion of surface ocean water will stop plate tectonics and turn it into a
Venus-like planet. Then, about 8 billion years later, the Earth will be swallowed
by the expanding Sun. However, by that time, Earth’s life has already changed
and will have reached other galaxies as self-replicating artificial life.

Analysis

The film includes elements such as cinematography, editing, sound design,

and visual effects. You can assess how these techniques contribute to the
overall storytelling, mood, and atmosphere of the film. Look for aspects like
shot composition, lighting, use of color, pacing, and transitions. "The Whole
History of the Earth and Life" could profoundly influence viewers' experiences
and interpretations by prompting reflection on fundamental questions about
the nature of existence, the trajectory of history, and humanity's place within
the vast tapestry of life on Earth.

Conclusion

The film might explore humanity's impact on the planet, the consequences of
environmental degradation, and the interconnectedness of all living beings
within ecosystems. This could provoke contemplation on sustainability,
stewardship of the Earth, and the ethical implications of our actions.