Fateful Planet

Our planet has had a difficult and violent past. The potential for life all begins when Earth collides with another protoplanet, the size of Mars, shortly after the formation of our solar system. The impact nearly destroys our home, but Earth survives. And in the end a new world was created: The moon. Although it causes a lot of trouble on Earth, it is the moon that plays an important role in the story of how life ultimately came to be on our planet.

Temperatures are about to plummet as our planet heads straight into a period known as 'Snowball Earth'. Throughout its history, Earth has continuously fluctuated between greenhouse and icehouse. But this particular icehouse phase is the most extreme period of cold our planet has ever witnessed, with ice encasing Earth from the poles to the equator. Life, which had only recently developed on the planet, seems doomed to extinction, but somehow manages to survive.

Around 540 million years ago, the ancestors of almost all complex organisms that exist today suddenly emerge in the shelf seas of the Cambrian. But plate tectonics and climatic fluctuations keep throwing the new life off track. Nevertheless, evolution progresses and even manages to make the leap onto land. But around 250 million years ago, life has to pass its biggest test, yet: massive volcanic eruptions trigger the most severe of all mass extinctions in Earth's history.

In the Triassic a new group of reptiles rises to rule the world. The dinosaurs dominate our planet for over 150 million years. But when the last mass extinction strikes 66 million years ago, the dinosaurs vanish together with 75% of all species. A gigantic asteroid hits our planet resulting in an apocalypse. But is this rock from space really the killer of the dinosaurs? Scientists are using the latest scientific methods to unravel the mystery of the rise and fall of the dinosaurs.

Just a short time after their appearance, humans become the dominant species on Earth. But despite their success they have to face threats from above and below. Like a super-volcano eruption with devastating consequences for life all around the globe. Or an asteroid coming down over a forest, with a force capable of killing millions of people. With latest technology scientists around the world are working on groundbreaking missions to develop ways to mitigate future catastrophes.