Great Moments in Evolution

It all began with a single cell. In the course of almost four billion years, this one cell evolved into the diversity of life that exists on the planet today. We have been able to classify and give a name to around 1.8 million species so far, but there are in fact many more species that no one has ever seen. Estimates range from 10 million to 100 million.

There were five great waves of mass extinction in the history of life. The biggest disaster struck around 250 million years ago. Almost all existing species were wiped out. Yet, some survived. Evolution got back to work, and life returned bringing forth new species and new concepts. So, will there be a day when we humans, too, become extinct? And what course will evolution take?