DiscoverBig ThinkWhat are the chances of YOU existing? A biologist explains | Sean B. Carroll
What are the chances of YOU existing? A biologist explains | Sean B. Carroll

What are the chances of YOU existing? A biologist explains | Sean B. Carroll

Update: 2025-09-12
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**🌍 Earth’s History Hinges on Chaos — and You Are Its Luckiest Accident**


What if your existence was only possible because of two massive cosmic collisions — and one lucky sperm?


Biologist and author **Sean B. Carroll** unveils a breathtaking truth: the evolution of life on Earth wasn’t a planned journey but a **wild series of accidents**. A 6-mile-wide asteroid struck the *exact* spot on Earth with just the right chemical mix to wipe out the dinosaurs, giving mammals — and eventually humans — a shot at dominance. A second monumental collision — India slamming into Asia — sparked the Ice Age, a trial by fire that forged our **big-brained, tool-making ancestors**.


And your individual life? It’s a 1-in-70-trillion genetic fluke — a cosmic lottery win shaped by **chance mutations and timing**. There has never been, and never will be, another you.


🧬 Life isn’t destiny — it’s improbability, stacked on improbability.


**So what else in your life could be hinging on a single moment of chance?**



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What are the chances of YOU existing? A biologist explains | Sean B. Carroll

What are the chances of YOU existing? A biologist explains | Sean B. Carroll

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