BBC Earth

Exploring the worst mass extinction the planet has ever seen, when as much as 90% of all species died 252 million years ago; this moment in Earth's history took life to the brink, wreaking havoc and destruction on an unprecedented scale.

Earth's journey into the deep freeze starts with fire over 800 million years ago; Long before the age of the dinosaurs, before there was even animal life, the supercontinent Rodinia breaks up.

The story of how plant life turned Earth from a barren rock into a vibrant green world; a four-billion year saga of highs and lows that almost wiped out all life on the planet.

When Earth first formed from clouds of dust and gas 4.6 billion years ago, it was devoid of an atmosphere, an inhospitable rock floating in the black void of space.

How dramatic twists in Earth's story enabled humans to go from being part of nature to controlling it.