Cosmos · life · humanityOur World

Big Bang to Us

Cross changing time scales from the expanding universe to the arrival of our species.

Subject guide · scope, chapters & sources ↗Featured branch · Dinosaurs to BirdsBirds are living dinosaurs.Follow the fossil clues from theropods to the birds around us.Explore this branch

Explore how things came to be51 curated roads · Browse subjects

Browse six topics, or explore a requested subject. Roads can belong to several topics without being duplicated. This is a growing, curated library.

51 roads available

Big Bang to UsNonfiction · 12 chapters · Cosmos · life · humanity About this subject · sources & review

Human FamilyNonfiction · 8 chapters · A branching family · not a ladder About this subject · sources & review

Domestic CatNonfiction · 15 chapters · From deep ancestry to companion About this subject · sources & review

Dinosaurs to BirdsNonfiction · 7 chapters · An evolutionary branch · still alive About this subject · sources & review

The Human StoryNonfiction · 5 chapters · From species to societies About this subject · sources & review

EmpiresNonfiction · 6 chapters · Power & exchange About this subject · sources & review

CitiesNonfiction · 6 chapters · Urban worlds About this subject · sources & review

CountriesNonfiction · 6 chapters · Nations & borders About this subject · sources & review

IndiaNonfiction · 6 chapters · Subcontinent to republic About this subject · sources & review

JapanNonfiction · 6 chapters · Communities, courts & constitutions About this subject · sources & review

PrintingNonfiction · 5 chapters · Many routes to the printed page About this subject · sources & review

InternetNonfiction · 6 chapters · Networks first, the Web later About this subject · sources & review

NagpurNonfiction · 6 chapters · A city through changing states About this subject · sources & review

Chhatrapati Shivaji MaharajNonfiction · 6 chapters · A life & a kingdom About this subject · sources & review

Mahatma GandhiNonfiction · 7 chapters · A life of political action About this subject · sources & review

Banyan TreeNonfiction · 5 chapters · Ficus benghalensis About this subject · sources & review

CricketNonfiction · 6 chapters · From local play to world tournaments About this subject · sources & review

World WarsNonfiction · 6 chapters · Conflict, fragile peace & conflict again About this subject · sources & review

Mandarin ChineseNonfiction · 6 chapters · Speech, writing & standardisation About this subject · sources & review

Apollo 11Nonfiction · 10 chapters · The road to the Moon About this subject · sources & review

Nana PatekarNonfiction · 12 chapters · Life & cinema About this subject · sources & review

EarthNonfiction · 10 chapters · A changing planet About this subject · sources & review

SmartphonesNonfiction · 10 chapters · Computing in a pocket About this subject · sources & review

CoffeeNonfiction · 10 chapters · Plants, trade and shared cups About this subject · sources & review

MumbaiNonfiction · 11 chapters · Islands, industry and a growing metropolis About this subject · sources & review

LondonNonfiction · 10 chapters · A city whose centre keeps changing About this subject · sources & review

New York CityNonfiction · 12 chapters · Homeland, harbor & metropolis About this subject · sources & review

Shah Rukh KhanNonfiction · 12 chapters · Television, film roles and a wider public career About this subject · sources & review

Taylor SwiftNonfiction · 11 chapters · Songwriting, reinvention and ownership About this subject · sources & review

Lionel MessiNonfiction · 10 chapters · From Rosario to the world stage About this subject · sources & review

Artificial intelligenceNonfiction · 11 chapters · Programs, learning & limits About this subject · sources & review

MoonNonfiction · 10 chapters · Earth’s companion About this subject · sources & review

DogsNonfiction · 8 chapters · Wolf ancestry, shared lives and changing evidence About this subject · sources & review

TeaNonfiction · 10 chapters · Leaves, journeys and living traditions About this subject · sources & review

ChocolateNonfiction · 9 chapters · Cacao, craft and the people behind the bar About this subject · sources & review

CarsNonfiction · 10 chapters · From steam carts to electric fleets About this subject · sources & review

AirplanesNonfiction · 9 chapters · Learning to fly About this subject · sources & review

ParisNonfiction · 10 chapters · From Lutetia to a living city About this subject · sources & review

ChinaNonfiction · 12 chapters · Dynasties, revolutions and a changing state About this subject · sources & review

Cristiano RonaldoNonfiction · 10 chapters · Madeira, club football and Portugal About this subject · sources & review

Albert EinsteinNonfiction · 11 chapters · Changing the picture of nature About this subject · sources & review

Virat KohliNonfiction · 8 chapters · From youth captain to international milestones About this subject · sources & review

Sachin TendulkarNonfiction · 8 chapters · A long international batting career About this subject · sources & review

MS DhoniNonfiction · 8 chapters · Wicketkeeper, captain and finisher About this subject · sources & review

Amitabh BachchanNonfiction · 8 chapters · From a screen debut to a cinema retrospective About this subject · sources & review

A. R. RahmanNonfiction · 8 chapters · From Roja to international stages About this subject · sources & review

BeyoncéNonfiction · 8 chapters · From Destiny’s Child to solo visual albums About this subject · sources & review

Tom CruiseNonfiction · 8 chapters · From early screen roles to actor-producer About this subject · sources & review

Serena WilliamsNonfiction · 9 chapters · From qualifying rounds to major titles About this subject · sources & review

Elon MuskNonfiction · 9 chapters · Companies, engineering teams and public accountability About this subject · sources & review

Bill GatesNonfiction · 10 chapters · From software partnership to philanthropy About this subject · sources & review

Browse the complete subject library →

Official Earth time scaleSelect an eon on the road to reveal its eras.ICS 2026/06 ↗

Cosmic Originsbefore Earth’s geological eons

c. 13.8 billion years agoUniverse

The Big Bang

The universe expands and cools from a hot, dense early state.

Oval map of small temperature differences in the cosmic microwave background. — ESA and the Planck Collaboration / NOIRLab · CC BY 4.0

Within the first few hundred million yearsEarly Universe

The first stars ignite

Gravity gathers primordial gas and the cosmic dark ages begin to lift.

Illustrated cosmic timeline marking the dark ages, first stars and galaxies. — NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI · NASA editorial media-use permission

c. 4.54 billion years agoSolar System

Earth takes shape

Rock and metal gather around the young Sun.

Dark, crusted Allende meteorite fragment. — Jon Taylor · CC BY-SA 2.0

At least 3.5 billion years agoEarth

Microbial life leaves evidence

Ancient rocks preserve traces of a living planet.

Layered Paleoarchean stromatolite specimen. — Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0

c. 2.4 billion years agoAtmosphere & oceans

Oxygen transforms the atmosphere

Microbial photosynthesis changes the chemistry of Earth.

Blue-grey banded iron-formation specimen on a museum stand. — Kjoonlee · CC BY 4.0

c. 1.8 billion years agoEarth

Complex cells diversify

Cells with internal structures establish a new branch of life.

Light-microscope view of modern Paramecium caudatum cells. — Fritzmann2002 · CC BY-SA 4.0

c. 600 million years agoGlobal oceans

Large multicellular life spreads

Complex bodies become a visible part of the fossil record.

Oval, segmented Dickinsonia fossil impression in rock. — cprevot (https://www.geodiversite.net/auteur193) · CC BY-SA 3.0

By c. 200 million years agoEarth

Early mammals live alongside dinosaurs

Small mammals and their close relatives are part of Mesozoic ecosystems.

Small Morganucodon fossil remains preserved in a reddish rock fragment. — Ghedoghedo · CC BY-SA 3.0

c. 56 million years agoAsia, Europe & North America

Early primates diversify

Small tree-dwelling primates spread through warm forests.

Small fossil remains of Teilhardina belgica in a museum display. — Ghedoghedo · CC BY-SA 3.0

c. 7 million years agoAfrica

The hominin story begins

A lineage of African apes starts following its own evolutionary path.

Side view of a cast of the Toumaï cranium. — Oryctes · CC BY-SA 3.0

c. 2.8 million years agoAfrica

Early Homo enters the fossil record

A jaw from Ethiopia preserves evidence attributed to our genus.

Two views of a fossil lower jaw and its teeth. — Brian Villmoare · CC BY 4.0

c. 300,000 years agoAfrica

Homo sapiens emerge

Our species appears within a diverse human world.