-
The Big Bang
A theory in astronomy: the universe originated billions of years ago in an explosion from a single point of nearly infinite energy density — compare steady state theory. -
First stars were born
Scientists think the universe was born in a Big Bang explosion 13.7 billion years ago and has been expanding ever since. But they have struggled to understand how the first stars formed in the aftermath of this cataclysm. -
First galaxies were born
First galaxies were born much earlier than expected. Using the amplifying power of a cosmic gravitational lens, astronomers have discovered a distant galaxy whose stars were born unexpectedly early in cosmic history. -
Forming of the Milky Way
Astronomers believe that the galaxy formed out of a large, fairly spherical cloud of cold gas, rotating slowly in space. At some point in time, the cloud began to collapse in on itself, or condense, in the same way that the clouds which formed individual stars also condensed. -
The Solar system forms
Solar System Formation. Scientists believe that the solar system was formed when a cloud of gas and dust in space was disturbed, maybe by the explosion of a nearby star (called a supernova). This explosion made waves in space which squeezed the cloud of gas and dust. -
First single celled organisms
The first living things on Earth, single-celled micro-organisms or microbes lacking a cell nucleus or cell membrane known as prokaryotes, seem to have first appeared on Earth almost four billion years ago, just a few hundred million years after the formation of the Earth itself. -
First Multi Celled Organisms
The first known single-celled organisms appeared on Earth about 3.5 billion years ago, roughly a billion years after Earth formed. More complex forms of life took longer to evolve, with the first multicellular animals not appearing until about 600 million years ago. -
first animals with shells and hard parts
About 3.5 billion years ago, the first microscopic organisms appeared in the ocean. The first invertebrates developed in the oceans. They were soft-bodied animals with a shell or carapace, such as these trilobites. -
First Vertebrates
Vertebrates originated about 525 million years ago during the Cambrian explosion, which saw the rise in organism diversity. The earliest known vertebrate is believed to be the Myllokunmingia. Another early vertebrate is Haikouichthys ercaicunensis. -
First signs of Plants and Animals
The researchers found that land plants had evolved on Earth by about 700 million years ago and land fungi by about 1,300 million years ago — much earlier than previous estimates of around 480 million years ago, which were based on the earliest fossils of those organisms. -
First Insects And Spiders
It found that true insects first emerged about 479 million years ago, long before dinosaurs first walked the Earth. Co-author Karl Kjer, a Rutgers entomologist, explained that mites are arthropods, a group that's distantly related to insects. Spiders and crustaceans are also arthropods.
