HOMEBySprawling.Listentome,please.You’relikeme,ahomosapiens.Awisehuman.Life,amiracleintheuniverse,appearedaroundfourbillionyearsago,andwehumansonly200,000yearsago.YetwehavesucceededindisruptingthebalancethatissoessentialtolifeonEarth.Listencarefullytothisextraordinarystory,whichisyours,anddecidewhatyouwanttodowithit.Thesearetracesofourorigins.Atthebeginning,ourplanetwasnomorethanachaosoffire,formedinthewakeofitsstar,thesun.Acloudofagglutinateddustparticles,similartosomanysimilarclustersintheuniverse.Yetthiswaswherethemiracleoflifeoccurred.Today,life-ourlife-isjustalinkinachainofinnumerablelivingbeingsthathavesucceededoneanotheronEarthovernearlyfourbillionyears.Andeventoday,newvolcanoescontinuetosculptourlandscapes.TheyofferaglimpseofwhatourEarthwaslikeatitsbirth---moltenrocksurgingfromthedepths,solidifying,cracking,blisteringorspreadinginathincrust,beforefablingdormantforatime.ThesewreathsofsmokecurlingfromthebowelsoftheEarthbearwitnesstotheEarth’soriginalatmosphere.Anatmospheredevoidofoxygen.Adenseatmosphere,thickwithwatervapor,fullofcarbondioxide.Afurnace.ButtheEarthhadanexceptionalfuture,offeredtoitbywater.Attherightdistancefromthesun---nottoofar,nottoonear,theEarthwasabletoconservewaterinliquidform.WatervaporcondensedandfellintorrentialdownpoursonEarth,andriversappeared.TheriversshapedthesurfaceoftheEarth,cuttingtheirchannels,furrowingoutvalleys.Theyrantowardthelowestplacesontheglobetoformtheoceans.Theytoremineralsfromtherocks,andgraduallythefreshwateroftheoceansbecameheavywithsalt.Waterisavitalliquid.Itirrigatedthesesterileexpanses.Thepathsittracedareliketheveinsofabody,thebranchesofatree,thevesselsofthesapthatitbroughttotheEarth.Nearlyfourbillionyearslater,somewhereonEarthcanstillbefoundtheseworksofart,leftbythevolcanoes’ash,mixedwithwaterfromIceland’sglaciers.Theretheyare-matterandwater,waterandmatter-softandhardcombined,thecrucialalliancesharedbyeverylife-formonourplanet.MineralsandmetalsareevenolderthantheEarth.Theyarestardust.TheyprovidetheEarth’scolors.Redfromiron,blackfromcarbon,bluefromcopper,yellowfromsulfur.Wheredowecomefrom?Wheredidlifefirstsparkintobeing?Amiracleoftime,primitivelife-formsstillexistintheglobe’shotsprings.Theygivethemtheircolors.They’recalledarchaeobacteria.TheyallfeedofftheEarth’sheatallexceptthecyanobacteria,orblue-greenalgae.Theyalonehavethecapacitytoturnthesuntocaptureitsenergy.Theyareavitalancestorofallyesterday’sandtoday’splantspecies.Thesetinybacteriaandtheirbillionsofdescendantschangedthedestinyofourplanet.Theytransformeditsatmosphere.Whathappenedtothecarbonthatpoisonedtheatmosphere?It’sstillhere,imprisonedintheEarth’scrust.WecanreadthischapteroftheEarth’shistorynowherebetterthanonthewallsofColorado’sGrandCanyon.TheyrevealnearbytwobillionyearsoftheEarth’shistory.Onceuponatime,theGrandCanyonwasaseainhabitedbymicroorganisms.Theygrewtheirshellsbytappingintocarbonfromtheatmospheredissolvedintheocean.Whentheydied,theshellssankandaccumulatedonthesealed.Thesestrataaretheproductofthosebillionsandbillionsofshells.Thankstothem,thecarbondrainedfromtheatmosphere,andotherlife-formscoulddevelop.Itislifethatalteredtheatmosphere.Plantlifefedoffthesun’senergy,whichenabledittobreakapartthewatermoleculeandtaketheoxygen.Andoxygenfilledtheair.TheEarth’swatercycleisaprocessofconstantrenewal.Waterfalls,water,vapor,clouds,rain,springs,ri...
