Over six programmes, Channel 4's Origins tells the story of our world from its violent birth, 4.6 billion years ago to the emergence of modern man. Using stunning graphics, dramatic reconstructions and interviews with ground-breaking researchers, it shows an infancy scarred by boiling rock and crashing meteors before it resembled anything like today's planet, with the epic migrations of human beings throughout the globe.
This site adds to the story of the journey. Throughout the hardships, humans have set themselves apart with their immense ability to adapt to their environment and a unique capacity for abstract thought, struggling to understand their place in a chaotic world.
After tracking the time line, you can test how your own cognitive skills have evolved in our interactive zones — the Test of time quiz and our Name the element game.
Parts of this site may be inaccessible using early Netscape browsers. Later versions can be downloaded free from http://www.netscape.com