Big history Examines Our Past, Explains Our Present, Imagines Our Future

Description

5 Contents 8 FOREWORD BY DAVID CHRISTIAN 10 INTRODUCTION 1 THE BIG BANG 16 GOLDILOCKS CONDITIONS 18 ORIGIN STORIES 20 THE NEBRA SKY DISK 22 ASTRONOMY BEGINS 24 EARTH ORBITS THE SUN 26 SEEING THE LIGHT 28 THE ATOM AND THE UNIVERSE 30 THE UNIVERSE GETS BIGGER 32 THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE 34 THE BIG BANG 36 RECREATING THE BIG BANG 38 BEYOND THE BIG BANG 2 STARS ARE BORN 42 GOLDILOCKS CONDITIONS 44 THE FIRST STARS 46 THE PUZZLE OF GRAVITY 48 THE FIRST GALAXIES 50 HUBBLE EXTREME DEEP FIELD 3 ELEMENTS ARE FORGED 54 GOLDILOCKS CONDITIONS 56 THE LIFE CYCLE OF A STAR 58 HOW NEW ELEMENTS FORM INSIDE STARS 60 WHEN GIANT STARS EXPLODE 62 MAKING SENSE OF THE ELEMENTS 4 PLANETS FORM 66 GOLDILOCKS CONDITIONS 68 OUR SUN IGNITES 70 THE PLANETS FORM 72 THE IMILAC METEORITE 74 THE SUN TAKES CONTROL 76 HOW WE FIND SOLAR SYSTEMS 78 EARTH COOLS 80 EARTH SETTLES INTO LAYERS 82 THE MOON’S ROLE 84 THE CONTINENTS ARE BORN 86 DATING EARTH 88 ZIRCON CRYSTAL 90 CONTINENTS DRIFT 92 HOW EARTH’S CRUST MOVES 94 OCEAN FLOOR 5 LIFE EMERGES 98 GOLDILOCKS CONDITIONS 100 STORY OF LIFE 102 LIFE’S INGREDIENTS FORM 104 THE GENETIC CODE 106 LIFE BEGINS 108 HOW LIFE EVOLVES 110 HISTORY OF EVOLUTION 112 MICROBES APPEAR 114 LIFE DISCOVERS SUNLIGHT 116 OXYGEN FILLS THE AIR 118 COMPLEX CELLS EVOLVE 120 SEX MIXES GENES 122 CELLS BEGIN TO BUILD BODIES 124 MALES AND FEMALES DIVERGE 126 ANIMALS GET A BRAIN 128 ANIMAL LIFE EXPLODES 130 ANIMALS GAIN A BACKBONE 132 RISE OF THE VERTEBRATES 134 JAWS CREATE TOP PREDATORS 136 PLANTS MOVE ONTO LAND 138 WENLOCK LIMESTONE 140 ANIMALS INVADE LAND 142 REINVENTING THE WING 144 THE FIRST SEEDS 146 SHELLED EGGS ARE BORN 148 HOW COAL FORMED 150 LIZARD IN AMBER 152 THE LAND DRIES OUT 154 REPTILES DIVERSIFY 156 BIRDS TAKE TO THE AIR 158 C ONTINENTS SHIFT AND LIFE DIVIDES 160 THE PLANET BLOSSOMS 162 MASS EXTINCTIONS 164 P LANTS RECRUIT INSECTS 166 THE RISE OF MAMMALS 168 GRASSLANDS ADVANCE 170 EVOLUTION TRANSFORMS LIFE 172 HOW WE CLASSIFY LIFE 174 ICE CORES 176 EARTH FREEZES 6 HUMANS EVOLVE 180 GOLDILOCKS CONDITIONS 182 THE PRIMATE FAMILY 184 HOMININS EVOLVE 186 APES BEGIN TO WALK UPRIGHT 188 GROWING A LARGER BRAIN 190 THE NEANDERTHALS 192 KEBRA NEANDERTHAL 194 EARLY HUMANS DISPERSE 196 ANCIENT DNA 198 THE FIRST HOMO SAPIENS 200 BRINGING UP BABIES 202 HOW LANGUAGE EVOLVED 204 COLLECTIVE LEARNING 206 THE BIRTH OF CREATIVITY 210 HUNTER-GATHERERS EMERGE 212 PALEOLITHIC ART 214 THE INVENTION OF CLOTHING 216 HUMANS HARNESS FIRE 218 BURIAL PRACTICES 220 HUMANS BECOME DOMINANT 7 CIVILIZATIONS DEVELOP 224 GOLDILOCKS CONDITIONS 226 CLIMATE CHANGES THE LANDSCAPE 228 FORAGERS BECOME FARMERS 230 AFFLUENT FORAGERS 232 HUNTERS BEGIN TO GROW FOOD 234 FARMING BEGINS 236 WILD PLANTS BECOME CROPS 238 POLLEN GRAINS 240 FARMERS DOMESTICATE ANIMALS 242 FARMING SPREADS 244 MEASURING TIME 246 NEW USES FOR ANIMALS 248 INNOVATIONS INCREASE YIELDS 250 SURPLUS BECOMES POWER 252 POPULATION STARTS TO RISE 254 THE FENTON VASE 256 EARLY SETTLEMENTS 258 SOCIETY GETS ORGANIZED 260 RULERS EMERGE 262 LAW, ORDER, AND JUSTICE 264 THE WRITTEN WORD 266 WRITING DEVELOPS 268 WATERING THE DESERT 270 CITY-STATES EMERGE 272 FARMING IMPACTS THE ENVIRONMENT 274 BELIEF SYSTEMS 276 GRAVE GOODS 278 CLOTHING SHOWS STATUS 280 USING METALS 282 ÖTZI THE ICEMAN 284 CONFLICT LEADS TO WAR 286 AGE OF EMPIRES 288 HOW EMPIRES RISE AND FALL 290 MAKING MONEY 292 UNHEALTHY DEVELOPMENTS 294 TRADE NETWORKS DEVELOP 296 EAST MEETS WEST 298 TRADE GOES GLOBAL 8 INDUSTRY RISES 302 GOLDILOCKS CONDITIONS 304 THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 306 COAL FUELS INDUSTRY 308 STEAM POWER DRIVES CHANGE 310 THE PROCESS OF INDUSTRIALIZATION 312 INDUSTRY GOES GLOBAL 314 GOVERNMENTS EVOLVE 316 CONSUMERISM TAKES OFF 318 EQUALITY AND FREEDOM 320 NATIONALISM EMERGES 322 THE INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY 324 THE WORLD OPENS TO TRADE 326 WAR DRIVES INNOVATION 328 COLONIAL EMPIRES GROW 330 SOCIETY TRANSFORMS 332 EDUCATION EXPANDS 334 MEDICAL ADVANCES 336 ROAD TO GLOBALIZATION 338 ENGINES SHRINK THE WORLD 340 NEWS TRAVELS FASTER 342 SOCIAL NETWORKS EXPAND 344 GROWTH AND CONSUMPTION 346 FINDING THE ENERGY 348 NUCLEAR OPTIONS 350 ENTERING THE ANTHROPOCENE 352 CLIMATE CHANGE 354 ELEMENTS UNDER THREAT 356 THE QUEST FOR SUSTAINABILITY 358 WHERE NEXT? 360 TIMELINES OF WORLD HISTORY 362 PREHISTORIC WORLD, 8 MYA–3000 BCE 367 CALENDAR SYSTEMS 368 ANCIENT WORLD, 3000–700 BCE 374 CULTURE AND CREATIVITY 376 CLASSICAL WORLD, 700 BCE – 600 CE 383 GREAT BUILDINGS 384 MEDIEVAL WORLD, 600–145O 392 PHILOSOPHY AND FAITH 394 EARLY MODERN WORLD, 1450–1750 402 INVENTION AND DISCOVERY 404 WORLD OF EMPIRES, 1750–1914 411 ASTRONOMY AND SPACE 412 MODERN WORLD, 1914 ONWARD 422 MILESTONES IN MEDICINE 424 INDEX AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS