Mega-annum, usually abbreviated as Ma, is a unit of time equal to one million years. It commonly used in geology and paleontology to signify time in the past. For example, 65 Ma indicates 65 million years ago.
One billion seconds from the beginning of 1996 would be the year 2029.
For example, the student representing the beginning of life on Earth would pace off 194 yards from the present, and the student representing the first reptiles would pace off 18 yards from the present.
I appeared 330 millionyearsago." Remember, the student representing the beginning of the Earth will have to shout very loudly, as they will be more than two football fields away from "the present"!
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chimpanzees and humans split from a common ancestor just 4 millionyearsago -- a much shorter time than current estimates of 5 million to 7 millionyearsago, according to a study published on Friday.
Experts agree that humans split off from a common ancestor with chimpanzees several millionyearsago and that gorillas and orangutans split off much earlier.
But it is difficult to date precisely when, although most recent studies have put the date at somewhere around 5 million to 7 millionyearsago.
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