JIM REED/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
A supercell thunderstorm, like the one seen above, is rare and violent, and it often spawns severe tornadoes. Complex weather systems are the focus of research for Kansas’s meteorologists.
Without this study, our understanding of the atmosphere would be severely limited. Its birth and growth, along with other tumultuous times in Earth’s history, are central topics in the recently published book Earth. All of these pictures came from something that took over 4 billion years to form.
Chris Packham, a conservationist (shown above clutching a dinosaur skull), and Andrew Cohen, head of the Science Unit at BBC Studios, wrote the book together. It goes along with the five-part documentary Earth, which uses state-of-the-art research and dazzling CGI to bring the distant past to life.
There are still active volcanoes on our planet, like Tungurahua in Ecuador (shown above), and there were many more of them exploding with lava and gas in Earth’s early days. Some of today’s most successful animals actually survived largely unmodified from these planet-altering eruptions, which is a bit of a mystery.
Oscillatoria cyanobacteria |Â MAREK MIS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
About 3.5 billion years ago, for instance, cyanobacteria established themselves. The following picture is a microscope view of a filamentous cyanobacterium of the genus Oscillatoria. The hot waters of Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, USA (shown below) are coloured by “microbial mats” that include organisms like these. Extremophiles, which include heat-loving bacteria, are creatures that can thrive in conditions formerly thought to be inhospitable.
Grand prismatic spring in Yellowstone national park
Shutterstock/TRphotos
The book Earth is now available, and the TV series can be found on BBC iPlayer.
Earth: Over 4 billion years in the making (HarperCollins)
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: What is the focus of research for Kansas’s meteorologists?
A: Kansas’s meteorologists are studying complex weather systems, particularly supercell thunderstorms, which are rare, violent, and often spawn severe tornadoes.
Q: What is the recently published book “Earth” about?
A: The book “Earth,” co-authored by Chris Packham and Andrew Cohen, explores the birth, growth, and tumultuous times in Earth’s history using state-of-the-art research and dazzling CGI.
Q: How have today’s successful animals survived from planet-altering eruptions in Earth’s early days?
A: Some of today’s successful animals have survived largely unmodified from the volcanic eruptions that occurred in Earth’s early days, a phenomenon that remains a mystery.
Q: What is cyanobacteria, and when did it establish itself on Earth?
A: Cyanobacteria established themselves on Earth around 3.5 billion years ago. They are photosynthetic bacteria that played a crucial role in shaping early Earth’s atmosphere.
Q: What are extremophiles, and how do they thrive in extreme conditions?
A: Extremophiles are creatures, including heat-loving bacteria, that can thrive in conditions that were once thought to be inhospitable for life, such as hot springs and geothermal areas.
