Terra's early childhood is mostly a mystery to us; before she was 8, she tore the pages out of her rock diary as fast as she could write them. She was 15 before her oceans began showing signs of life, simple single-celled organisms. In her 20s, she began replacing the carbon dioxide in her atmosphere with oxygen.
Her life became more interesting when she turned 40--just 6 years ago--and the first recognizable animals appeared. Between her 42nd and 43rd birthdays, land plants, amphibians, and reptiles came along. She was nearly 44 when the Appalachians rose and dinosaurs began to roam.
Eight months ago dinosaurs became extinct and the Rocky Mountains began rising; last month the Colorado River started cutting the Grand Canyon across a featureless plain. Just a few days ago humans with stone tools kicked off their campaign for dominance. Fifty-five minutes ago the ice retreated for the last time, opening the northern continents to nomadic hunters.
And 58 seconds ago the Industrial Revolution led to the draining of most of Terra's petroleum, which she had been saving up since she was 40.
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