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31 days of simulated evolution: full recap

[p]Back in May, I asked a simple question: what happens if you place a few primitive organisms on a brand new planet, switch on random mutations, and let evolution run… for an entire month?[/p][p]To find out, I launched a 31-day Twitch livestream using The Sapling. Starting with just a basic alga and an aquatic animal, we watched as life on planet Wright-1b unfolded in real time. Every adaptation, every extinction, and every surprising twist played out live.[/p][p]Over the course of those 31 days, we saw:[/p]
  • [p]Algae abandoning the seafloor to drift freely across the waves.[/p]
  • [p]Dordias rising as king of the seas, with sharper eyes, stronger fins, and teeth.[/p]
  • [p]The first land animals evolving legs, followed by faster descendants with long limbs, bipedal forms, and eventually protective shells.[/p]
  • [p]Seeds hitchhiking to new continents by clinging to the fur of aquatic animals.[/p]
  • [p]A meteor impact plunging the planet into darkness, allowing fungi to take over and fungus-eating animals to thrive.[/p]
  • [p]An ice age reshaping ecosystems, with plants adapting by going dormant and animals finding new survival strategies.[/p]
[p]To share this story beyond the livestream, I created daily shorts narrated by Leo Richards, known from Natural World Facts. Many people asked to bring everything together into one complete video, so I made an extended cut that combines the highlights with new narration and extra footage.[/p][p]Watch the full 31-day recap on YouTube[/p][p]This project wouldn’t have been the same without the community. You named continents, suggested disasters, and even kept a living wiki running during the stream. Thanks for being part of this journey - here’s to many more evolving worlds![/p][p]Wessel[/p]