Spread out a map of the world.
What you see on it depends on the kind of map you have. Does it show cities and countries? Mountains and valleys? Maybe weather patterns? The variety of features is so great that just one map can’t show them all.
Earth is part of an eight-planet solar system within the Milky Way galaxy. It is the third planet from the Sun and only the fifth largest overall. Its size and location aren’t very impressive. Yet Earth has a talent for creating life. In fact, it’s the only place that can, as far as we know!
One form of life tends to take this for granted. That’s us—humans. Our activities—like habitat destruction, pollution, and overfishing—have badly damaged life as we know it. Good thing Earth is as tough as it is beautiful. But you don’t have to be an expert to see that one planet can only take so much.
