This video is part 1 of their series on “Formation”. The series thoroughly addresses how, why and where galaxies, planets, and smaller forms of life formed / came from. This video, in particular though, covers the origin of planet Earth. That is, how Earth evolved from the spinning ball of molten rock it once was, to the green and blue planet, abundant with life, that we know and love today. As you’ll see, it’s broken down into, in order, the formation of planet Earth, the earliest forms of life, theories around how complex life formed, the current evidence around how complex life transitioned into the mammalian classes, and ends with the evolution of apes to humans. Phew. That’s all. Enjoy!

This video similarly follows a specific chronology, beginning with how simple life evolved to relatively more complex forms of life. This video, however, seems to go a bit more in detail as to what the various intermediary stages of life looked like, and doesn’t so much discuss the origin of planet Earth. That is, the video more-so describes how life formed on Earth, once it was already placed in our solar system. If you’re interested in microbiology and the evolution of planet / animal cells…this video is for you.

This video is perhaps the most balanced and expansive of the three. Hank and John Green, the people talking in the video, also have a super digestible and accessible method of describing the many scientific event covered. The graphics they use are also incredibly helpful. Oh, and we say “expansive” here, we mean that this video briefly introduces the birth of planet Earth, details the evolution of simple organisms, and then gives a nice description of how the modern-day plants, animals and humans all got here.