Smithsonian Channel(TM) Takes Viewers on an Extraordinary 4.5 Billion-Year Journey in “The Life of Earth” Premieres on November 9th

Since the dawn of humanity, we’ve wondered – how did our world come to be? Today, thanks to hundreds of satellites orbiting the planet, science is uncovering the full, epic story – including clues to our own role in its future. Travel through eons of fire and meteor storms – from the arrival of oceans and freezing global ice sheets to volcanic eruptions and mass extinctions – to discover “The Life of Earth“. Combining spectacular visuals, pioneering research and exciting expeditions, a new two-hour series from Smithsonian Channel reveals fresh evidence to age-old questions. “The Life of Earth” premieres Sunday, November 3 at 9PM ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.

“The Life of Earth” reveals how the lessons of deep time can offer a blueprint for survival. “Truly we live in a remarkable time when we as humans have the technology, we have the ability to plan ahead, we know our geologic past,” Kirk Johnson, Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, says in the series. “We can put all that together and actually conceive of a desirable future and build a global plan to get to that future. That’s the challenge for humanity in the 21st century.”

The first hour, FROM SPACE, explores the birth and early life of our planet from a truly unique vantage point in Earth’s orbit, revealing remarkable new discoveries. With clues from over 300 satellites and space stations surveying Earth’s landmarks, scientists can show how the Earth formed from a collapsed star and how primitive life emerged around 3.7 billion years ago. Single-celled organisms on this early planet spawned a revolution by evolving a way to harness energy from sunlight, creating oxygen, which made the first multicellular life possible.

The second hour, THE AGE OF HUMANS, explores the incredible rise and global impacts of our species, which emerged 300,000 years ago. Satellite images of ancient weather patterns reveal that our exceptional brains may be an evolutionary response to an unpredictable climate. The world’s first city, the rise of civilization and the staggering growth of our population and our terraforming of the Earth’s surface can all be revealed by clues from space.

“The Life of Earth” is produced by Talesmith for Smithsonian Networks and Zee TV. Martin Williams serves as executive producer. Charles Poe and David Royle are executive producers for Smithsonian Channel.

Martin Williams is an Emmy winning director, writer, and producer best known for pioneering 3D and giant screen natural history documentaries with David Attenborough. His work includes Galapagos, David Attenborough’s Kingdom of Plants and David Attenborough’s First Life. Martin has also written and directed award-winning science and history films such as Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking and Inside the Living Body.

Smithsonian Channel(TM), offered by Smithsonian Networks(TM) which is owned and operated by Showtime Networks Inc., is where curiosity lives, inspiration strikes and wonders never cease. This is the place for awe-inspiring stories, powerful documentaries and amazing factual entertainment, available in HD and 4K Ultra HD across multiple platforms. Smithsonian Channel, winner of Emmy(R) and Peabody awards for its programming, combines the storytelling prowess of SHOWTIME(R) with the unmatched resources and rich traditions of the Smithsonian Institution, to create programming that shines new light on popular genres such as air and space, travel, history, science, nature and pop culture. Among the network’s offerings are series including Aerial America, America in Color, America’s Hidden Stories, Apollo’s Moon Shot, The Pacific War in Color and Air Disasters, as well as critically-acclaimed specials that include The Coronation, The Green Book: Guide to Freedom and Black Hole Hunters. Smithsonian Networks also operates Smithsonian Channel Plus(TM), a subscription video streaming service delivering over a thousand hours of the Channel’s stunning and diverse library of documentaries and series in HD and 4K Ultra HD. Smithsonian Channel is also available internationally in Canada, Singapore, Latin America, and the UK. To learn more, go to www.smithsonianchannel.com, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.