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Life on Our Planet: A Stunning Re-examination of Prehistoric Life on Earth Tom Fletcher full chapter instant download
Life on Our Planet: A Stunning Re-examination of Prehistoric Life on Earth Tom Fletcher full chapter instant download
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L I F E ON
OUR PL AN E T
L I F E ON
OUR PL AN E T
D R TOM FLE TCH ER
L I F E ON
OUR PL AN E T
D R TOM FLE TCH ER
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 9
1 ORIGINS 17
INDEX 306
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 310
INTRODUCTION 9
1 ORIGINS 17
INDEX 306
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 310
O
ur galaxy, the Milky Way, is just
one among a trillion others in
the Universe. It alone may contain
400 billion stars, scattered across its 830-
quadrillion-kilometre span. Drifting humbly
within it, our solar system is only around
290 billion kilometres wide, and within that
our planet, Earth, orbits at just 150 million
kilometres from the Sun. In our tiny plot
of the Universe, a stroll around Earth is
nothing, at around 40,000 kilometres. To even
intelligent apes like us, these measurements
are far beyond the scope of what we need
to comprehend in order to survive. Numbers
over a thousand – above a tangible quantity
– quickly become abstract and meaningless.
Equally incomprehensible is the antiquity of
the Universe – 13.8 billion years old. The
solar system and Earth have existed for just
a third of this time, 4.54 billion years. What
followed was a spectacularly fortuitous
chain of events, that as far as we know is
utterly unique. There was a transition from
stark and simple chemistry to biology and
the evolution of life itself surprisingly soon
thereafter – a mere 4 billion years ago. It was
the start of an incredible story that we are
RIGHT: A herd of
only beginning to understand.
woolly mammoths
soldier forward Our own species, Homo sapiens, is only
through a long-lost
300,000 years old, so we have been around
ice world. Once
mighty animals, for less than 0.007 per cent of Earth’s
mammoths are now
existence. These great tracts of time are
potent symbols
of extinction. uncomfortable to imagine, especially as they
10 LIFE ON OUR PLANET
O
ur galaxy, the Milky Way, is just
one among a trillion others in
the Universe. It alone may contain
400 billion stars, scattered across its 830-
quadrillion-kilometre span. Drifting humbly
within it, our solar system is only around
290 billion kilometres wide, and within that
our planet, Earth, orbits at just 150 million
kilometres from the Sun. In our tiny plot
of the Universe, a stroll around Earth is
nothing, at around 40,000 kilometres. To even
intelligent apes like us, these measurements
are far beyond the scope of what we need
to comprehend in order to survive. Numbers
over a thousand – above a tangible quantity
– quickly become abstract and meaningless.
Equally incomprehensible is the antiquity of
the Universe – 13.8 billion years old. The
solar system and Earth have existed for just
a third of this time, 4.54 billion years. What
followed was a spectacularly fortuitous
chain of events, that as far as we know is
utterly unique. There was a transition from
stark and simple chemistry to biology and
the evolution of life itself surprisingly soon
thereafter – a mere 4 billion years ago. It was
the start of an incredible story that we are
RIGHT: A herd of
only beginning to understand.
woolly mammoths
soldier forward Our own species, Homo sapiens, is only
through a long-lost
300,000 years old, so we have been around
ice world. Once
mighty animals, for less than 0.007 per cent of Earth’s
mammoths are now
existence. These great tracts of time are
potent symbols
of extinction. uncomfortable to imagine, especially as they
12 LIFE ON OUR PLANET
highlight the relative insignificance of humans in the planet’s long history. However, of all the
species that have ever lived, we are the first to have learned about our place in time and space.
Thanks to our curiosity and intelligence, we are in a unique position to tell our own story, in the
knowledge that we are not here by accident. We are the last of a long line of survivors who, by
virtue of our own existence, we know all lived to reproduce. Each individual organism between
us and the very first was a winner because its genetic blueprint made it to the next generation.
Indeed, every single life form alive today is just the latest of countless iterations of a biological
formula that worked.
Earth today is home to at least 10 million species, and some scientists estimate there may
even be billions – perhaps over a trillion. Even in one gram of soil, you could find 50,000 species
of bacteria if, of course, you cared to look. However, this is nothing compared to what has
been before, with over 99 per cent of the species that have existed now extinct. The legacy of
these fallen hordes is the genetic code baked into their descendants’ DNA and scraps of their
remains, which lie fossilised in the rocks. Fossils are shadows of the life we see around us today
and the ultimate cold case for scientists trying to uncover their secrets. Extinct creatures have
always captured our imagination, from the weird and wonderful life of the ancient seas to the
giant dinosaurs that paced the land. Our museums are filled with these remains, but the rocks
that hold them are also rich with information, recording incomprehensibly vast amounts of time.
We are living in an exciting era of scientific discovery, having only learned to read the
language of these rocks in the last century or so. Kilometres of these layers lie beneath our feet
– a record of evolution, geography, climate and crisis. Over hundreds of millions of years the
relentless shifting movement of the Earth’s crust has distorted and warped these rocks. Tectonic
plates constantly reshape the planet’s surface, thrusting mountains skywards, driving continents
across the globe and causing entire seas to rise or drain away. From our own perspective these
processes are so slow that it is difficult to see that they are happening at all. That is, until we
are reminded of the planet’s violence by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. We can see that the
landscape is covered in the scars of these great tectonic contortions, and one fortunate result
RIGHT: Humans
of these events is that even the deepest and oldest rocks can be pushed up to the surface for
are a uniquely
intelligent force. us to find.
Our history, and
In the past few decades alone, scientists have made immense progress in piecing together the
the history of our
planet, can teach Earth’s story, using all the analytical tools available to them. Scarcely a week goes by without a
us much about
new fossil discovery, and much has changed since the old textbooks were written. Innovations
surviving in balance
with the Earth. in technology have also revolutionised the way fossils are analysed. Traditionally a fossil would
12 LIFE ON OUR PLANET
highlight the relative insignificance of humans in the planet’s long history. However, of all the
species that have ever lived, we are the first to have learned about our place in time and space.
Thanks to our curiosity and intelligence, we are in a unique position to tell our own story, in the
knowledge that we are not here by accident. We are the last of a long line of survivors who, by
virtue of our own existence, we know all lived to reproduce. Each individual organism between
us and the very first was a winner because its genetic blueprint made it to the next generation.
Indeed, every single life form alive today is just the latest of countless iterations of a biological
formula that worked.
Earth today is home to at least 10 million species, and some scientists estimate there may
even be billions – perhaps over a trillion. Even in one gram of soil, you could find 50,000 species
of bacteria if, of course, you cared to look. However, this is nothing compared to what has
been before, with over 99 per cent of the species that have existed now extinct. The legacy of
these fallen hordes is the genetic code baked into their descendants’ DNA and scraps of their
remains, which lie fossilised in the rocks. Fossils are shadows of the life we see around us today
and the ultimate cold case for scientists trying to uncover their secrets. Extinct creatures have
always captured our imagination, from the weird and wonderful life of the ancient seas to the
giant dinosaurs that paced the land. Our museums are filled with these remains, but the rocks
that hold them are also rich with information, recording incomprehensibly vast amounts of time.
We are living in an exciting era of scientific discovery, having only learned to read the
language of these rocks in the last century or so. Kilometres of these layers lie beneath our feet
– a record of evolution, geography, climate and crisis. Over hundreds of millions of years the
relentless shifting movement of the Earth’s crust has distorted and warped these rocks. Tectonic
plates constantly reshape the planet’s surface, thrusting mountains skywards, driving continents
across the globe and causing entire seas to rise or drain away. From our own perspective these
processes are so slow that it is difficult to see that they are happening at all. That is, until we
are reminded of the planet’s violence by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. We can see that the
landscape is covered in the scars of these great tectonic contortions, and one fortunate result
RIGHT: Humans
of these events is that even the deepest and oldest rocks can be pushed up to the surface for
are a uniquely
intelligent force. us to find.
Our history, and
In the past few decades alone, scientists have made immense progress in piecing together the
the history of our
planet, can teach Earth’s story, using all the analytical tools available to them. Scarcely a week goes by without a
us much about
new fossil discovery, and much has changed since the old textbooks were written. Innovations
surviving in balance
with the Earth. in technology have also revolutionised the way fossils are analysed. Traditionally a fossil would
INTRODUCTION 15
be prepared for months, if not years, behind closed doors by carefully rasping away the rock LEFT: Lystrosaurus,
a small but miraculous
that entombs it. Today, within minutes a specimen can be scanned in beautiful detail, providing a survivor of Earth’s
three-dimensional virtual model, which, within a few minutes more, can be shared with colleagues greatest mass
extinction, 252
all over the world. Increased computing power means that palaeontologists have all manner of million years ago.
tools at their disposal. Thankfully, these are becoming far more accessible in newly industrialised
countries, where research groups are growing in order to study their own natural heritage.
Palaeontology today is a truly interdisciplinary science, involving biologists, ecologists, chemists,
zoologists and even engineers. More than ever, palaeontologists are embracing collaboration and
shifting away from the more traditional way of working, which involved individuals harvesting
treasures from another continent and describing them in secrecy.
This revolution in science means that we know more than ever about these lost ancient worlds
that capture our imaginations. Life On Our Planet follows life’s grand journey from the chemical
and biological soup of its simplest times to the majesty and incredible diversity of life on Earth
today. Using cutting-edge camera techniques, expertly crafted visual effects and a wealth of new
scientific information, the series is a whistle-stop tour of the greatest dynasties ever to live. This
book will dive even deeper into this abundance of new knowledge and understanding, building
on the themes and stories featured on screen. Both should be seen not only as a biography
of life, but also an opportunity to reflect on the lessons we can learn from the deep past. Just
as we shine the light of discovery on our biosphere, we are also destroying it with ruthless
efficiency. Throughout the hundreds of millions of years in which complex life has existed, it has
faced a number of lethal challenges, which have verged on total annihilation. By learning from
prehistory, we may not be doomed to repeat it.
INTRODUCTION 15
be prepared for months, if not years, behind closed doors by carefully rasping away the rock LEFT: Lystrosaurus,
a small but miraculous
that entombs it. Today, within minutes a specimen can be scanned in beautiful detail, providing a survivor of Earth’s
three-dimensional virtual model, which, within a few minutes more, can be shared with colleagues greatest mass
extinction, 252
all over the world. Increased computing power means that palaeontologists have all manner of million years ago.
tools at their disposal. Thankfully, these are becoming far more accessible in newly industrialised
countries, where research groups are growing in order to study their own natural heritage.
Palaeontology today is a truly interdisciplinary science, involving biologists, ecologists, chemists,
zoologists and even engineers. More than ever, palaeontologists are embracing collaboration and
shifting away from the more traditional way of working, which involved individuals harvesting
treasures from another continent and describing them in secrecy.
This revolution in science means that we know more than ever about these lost ancient worlds
that capture our imaginations. Life On Our Planet follows life’s grand journey from the chemical
and biological soup of its simplest times to the majesty and incredible diversity of life on Earth
today. Using cutting-edge camera techniques, expertly crafted visual effects and a wealth of new
scientific information, the series is a whistle-stop tour of the greatest dynasties ever to live. This
book will dive even deeper into this abundance of new knowledge and understanding, building
on the themes and stories featured on screen. Both should be seen not only as a biography
of life, but also an opportunity to reflect on the lessons we can learn from the deep past. Just
as we shine the light of discovery on our biosphere, we are also destroying it with ruthless
efficiency. Throughout the hundreds of millions of years in which complex life has existed, it has
faced a number of lethal challenges, which have verged on total annihilation. By learning from
prehistory, we may not be doomed to repeat it.
ORIGINS
ORIGINS
18 LIFE ON OUR PLANET
B
efore the curtain rose for the greatest
show in history, history itself had to
begin. About 13.8 billion years ago
a singular point, no bigger than the dot
at the end of this sentence, became a
colossal Universe in spectacular fashion. It
expanded extremely rapidly, maybe faster
than the speed of light, to create space,
the fund‑amental forces of gravity, matter
and antimatter – in fact, everything. After
300,000 years of unimaginably energetic
expansion, atoms could begin to form and a
long road to calm began.
Our solar system formed only 4.57 billion
years ago, when swirling clouds of cosmic
dust and gases gradually coalesced into solid
structures. Over hundreds of millions of
years, lumps of molten rock collided and took
shape, drawn together by gravity. In the early
chaos, some were slung out to the cosmos,
while a handful rested in orbits around
our star, the Sun. As planets grew bigger,
they pulled ever-larger pieces of debris
towards them and, eventually, collapsed into
spheres.
This was a time of instability and intense
astronomical violence, where chance could
decide the fate of an emerging world. As
RIGHT: Earth
is unique in the the protoplanets became larger, so too did
Universe, cradling
the impacts, and towards the end of its
all life that has ever
lived and orbiting one formation, Earth itself came dangerously
star nestled among
close to annihilation. Around 4.5 billion years
400 billion others
in the Milky Way. ago, an enormous Mars-sized body called
18 LIFE ON OUR PLANET
B
efore the curtain rose for the greatest
show in history, history itself had to
begin. About 13.8 billion years ago
a singular point, no bigger than the dot
at the end of this sentence, became a
colossal Universe in spectacular fashion. It
expanded extremely rapidly, maybe faster
than the speed of light, to create space,
the fund‑amental forces of gravity, matter
and antimatter – in fact, everything. After
300,000 years of unimaginably energetic
expansion, atoms could begin to form and a
long road to calm began.
Our solar system formed only 4.57 billion
years ago, when swirling clouds of cosmic
dust and gases gradually coalesced into solid
structures. Over hundreds of millions of
years, lumps of molten rock collided and took
shape, drawn together by gravity. In the early
chaos, some were slung out to the cosmos,
while a handful rested in orbits around
our star, the Sun. As planets grew bigger,
they pulled ever-larger pieces of debris
towards them and, eventually, collapsed into
spheres.
This was a time of instability and intense
astronomical violence, where chance could
decide the fate of an emerging world. As
RIGHT: Earth
is unique in the the protoplanets became larger, so too did
Universe, cradling
the impacts, and towards the end of its
all life that has ever
lived and orbiting one formation, Earth itself came dangerously
star nestled among
close to annihilation. Around 4.5 billion years
400 billion others
in the Milky Way. ago, an enormous Mars-sized body called
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volueritis in ipso Dei templo, pro anima mea reddere
debeatis. Brunetti, i. 287.
Meglio che una lunga serie di voci è valutato dai filologi il trovare le
alterazioni di nomi, inusitate alla latina, e proprie della favella
odierna. Recammo qui sopra più d’un esempio dell’i efelcustico
preposto alla s impura. I Documenti Lucchesi ci danno all’anno 726
iscripsi per scripsi; al 749 istabilis presbiter; al 772 iscriptor, ed hec
meam offensionem firmam et instabile valeat permanire. Poi
abbiamo:
In una carta côrsa del 900: In loco ubi dicitur lo Cavo tutto lo suo
circulo, quomo est terminato et circumdato da ogni parte de nostro
proprio allodio... sicut sunt terminate de pied in Ficatella in Busso, et
mette alle saline, et mette allo livelli, et mette in via publica.
In un’altra pur côrsa del 936: Uxor de domino Gulielmo, la quale
habitabat ad locum ubi dicitur a Cocovello di lo plebajo di
Ampogiano. E vi è sottoscritto: Actum ad S. Luciam de la
Bachereda: e in una terza del 951 Rosanello del Querceto,
Raynuccius de Monte d’Olmo, Johanello Sambuchello.
In una del 981: Terminata per terminis da piede, lo ponte della
Leccia, et da capite lo castellazzo, ex latere la strada et lo molino et
lo Gargalo de casa Luna... Item damus vobis lo piano dello cerchio.
E in una del 1039: — Concedo allo dicto monasterio... Harnosa col
poccio arenoso; et lo podio delle mortelle, quomodo sunt terminata
da via pubblica, et mette alla Bertolaccia et descende per senone
usque in Petra rossa, et mette in Gargalo cacciapanio, et drietro
Sancti Marcelli, et mette in mare.
Il Trucchi adduce istromenti, ove son nominati Rio freddo (1092) e
Casanova; Rocca dei Cori (1052); il potere delle querce (900); Fonte
buona (800); una tenuta a Cintoja (724).
In simil modo le persone son nominate per mestieri o per
soprannomi all’italiana.
§ 15º
Periodo d’organamento.
L’om po far e
die in pensar
e vega quelo
che li po inchontrar.