If the history of the earth represented one year how many days would human evolution occupy?

1 Answer
Sep 2, 2016

Hominids diverged from apes in the last #14.5# hours of the year representing the age of the Earth.

Anatomically modern humans in the last #23# minutes of the year.

Explanation:

  • The age of the Earth is about #4.54# billion years.

So if we represent the history of the Earth by one year, then #1# day represents:

#(4.54 xx 10^9) / 365.25 ~~ 12.5# million years.

  • Hominids separated from apes about #7.5# million years ago.

So the time of the evolutionary divergence of hominids would be represented by:

#7.5 / 12.5 = 0.6# days # ~~ 14.5# hours

  • Anatomically modern humans date from about #200000# years ago.

That would be represented by:

#(2 xx 10^5) / (12.5 xx 10^6) = 0.016# days #~~ 23# minutes.

So anatomically modern humans have been around for the last #23# minutes of the year representing the age of the Earth.