What date would human beings appear?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the timeline of human appearance in relation to the age of the Earth, using analogies of a compressed time scale, such as a 24-hour clock or a single calendar year. Participants explore the implications of these time scales on the understanding of human evolution and existence.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Brian Teaser notes that the Earth is approximately four and a half billion years old and poses a question about human appearance on a compressed time scale.
  • One participant mentions a documentary suggesting that if Earth were on a 24-hour clock, humans would appear just one minute before midnight.
  • Another participant states that on a 24-hour clock starting from the Big Bang, humans would appear less than one second before midnight.
  • Njorl provides a timeline analogy, suggesting that Australopithecus afarensis would arrive "on time for tea," while Homo erectus would arrive just in time for a New Year's party, indicating a very recent appearance of modern humans.
  • A participant requests more specific details regarding the time and day of human appearance in these analogies.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various interpretations of the timeline of human evolution, with no consensus on the exact timing or implications of these analogies. Multiple competing views remain regarding the representation of human existence in relation to Earth's history.

Contextual Notes

The discussion relies on analogies that compress vast geological time into relatable formats, which may overlook the complexities and nuances of evolutionary timelines and the definitions of "human." There is also a lack of precise definitions regarding the starting points of these time scales.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in evolutionary biology, geology, or the conceptual frameworks of time in relation to human history may find this discussion engaging.

killerinstinct
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Brian Teaser++++++++

The Earth is an estimated four and a half billion years old. If geologic time were somehow compressed into a single calendar year, on what date would human beings appear?
 
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well all i know, on a documetary, that if you put Earth on a 24 hour clock from the beginnig of the exsitance of Earth then humans would appear 1 min from midnight :smile: :rolleyes:
 
12-31

The last day represents about the last 12 and a half million years.

Njorl
 
jynXed666, if you put Earth since the "Big Bang" on a 24hr clock, then the existence of humans would be less than 1 second from midnight!
 
Be More Specific, give time and day.
 
Well, I believe Australopithecus Aferensus might have arrived on time for tea. Australopithecus Africanus would have made dinner. The earlier ancestors, if you can call them that would have missed lunch completely.
Homo Erectus would get to the new years party in time to say hello and have a few drinks. Modern man would pop in just 15 minutes or so before midnight. Shortly after the fall of Rome, we would start shouting out "10...9...8..."

Njorl
 

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