Background: In the long term, the greatest changes in the Solar System will come from changes in the Sun itself as it ages. As the Sun burns through its supply of hydrogen fuel, it gets hotter and burns the remaining fuel even faster. As a result, the Sun is growing brighter at a rate of ten percent every 1.1 billion years. In about 600 million years, the Sun brightness will have disrupted the Carbon Cycle to the point that trees and forests (C3 photosynthetic plant life) will no longer be able to survive and in around 800 million years, the Sun will have killed all complex life on the Earth's surface and in the oceans. In 1.1 billion years' time, the Sun's increased radiation output will cause its circumstellar habitable zone to move outwards, making the Earth's surface too hot for liquid water to exist there naturally. At this point, all life will be reduced to single celled organisms. Evaporation of water, a potent greenhouse gas, from the oceans' surface could accelerate temperature increase, potentially ending all life on Earth even sooner. During this time, it is possible that as Mars's surface temperature gradually rises, carbon dioxide and water currently frozen under the surface regolith will release into the atmosphere, creating a greenhouse effect that will heat the planet until it achieves conditions parallel to Earth today, providing a potential future abode for life. By 3.5 billion years from now, Earth's surface conditions will be similar to those of Venus today.

Situation: Rob knows a brilliant scientist who has made a time machine. One day, the scientist let Rob travel time with his machine. Rob noticed that the machine had four gears, gear A, gear B, gear C, and gear D. Rob started with Gear A, which represented the present time. Then he pushed the gear to gear B, which was 600 million years from now. Then he further pushed the gear to gear C, which brought him to 800 million years from now. Finally, he pushed the gear to gear D, which brought him to 1.1 billion years from now. Though he traveled time, Rob was always on Earth all the time.

Question: When Rob would see more plant species, gear A or gear B?
Answer: gear A

Situation: Rob knows a brilliant scientist who has made a time machine. One day, the scientist let Rob travel time with his machine. Rob noticed that the machine had four gears, gear A, gear B, gear C, and gear D. Rob started with Gear A, which represented the present time. Then he pushed the gear to gear B, which was 600 million years from now. Then he further pushed the gear to gear C, which brought him to 800 million years from now. Finally, he pushed the gear to gear D, which brought him to 1.1 billion years from now. Though he traveled time, Rob was always on Earth all the time.

Question: When Rob would see less plant species, gear A or gear B?
Answer: gear B

Situation: Rob knows a brilliant scientist who has made a time machine. One day, the scientist let Rob travel time with his machine. Rob noticed that the machine had four gears, gear A, gear B, gear C, and gear D. Rob started with Gear A, which represented the present time. Then he pushed the gear to gear B, which was 600 million years from now. Then he further pushed the gear to gear C, which brought him to 800 million years from now. Finally, he pushed the gear to gear D, which brought him to 1.1 billion years from now. Though he traveled time, Rob was always on Earth all the time.

Question: Would he see less or more plant species in gear A than in gear B?
Answer: more

Situation: Rob knows a brilliant scientist who has made a time machine. One day, the scientist let Rob travel time with his machine. Rob noticed that the machine had four gears, gear A, gear B, gear C, and gear D. Rob started with Gear A, which represented the present time. Then he pushed the gear to gear B, which was 600 million years from now. Then he further pushed the gear to gear C, which brought him to 800 million years from now. Finally, he pushed the gear to gear D, which brought him to 1.1 billion years from now. Though he traveled time, Rob was always on Earth all the time.

Question: Would he see less or more plant species in gear B than in gear A?
Answer: less

Situation: Rob knows a brilliant scientist who has made a time machine. One day, the scientist let Rob travel time with his machine. Rob noticed that the machine had four gears, gear A, gear B, gear C, and gear D. Rob started with Gear A, which represented the present time. Then he pushed the gear to gear B, which was 600 million years from now. Then he further pushed the gear to gear C, which brought him to 800 million years from now. Finally, he pushed the gear to gear D, which brought him to 1.1 billion years from now. Though he traveled time, Rob was always on Earth all the time.

Question: When Rob would see more complex organisms, gear B or gear C?
Answer: gear B

Situation: Rob knows a brilliant scientist who has made a time machine. One day, the scientist let Rob travel time with his machine. Rob noticed that the machine had four gears, gear A, gear B, gear C, and gear D. Rob started with Gear A, which represented the present time. Then he pushed the gear to gear B, which was 600 million years from now. Then he further pushed the gear to gear C, which brought him to 800 million years from now. Finally, he pushed the gear to gear D, which brought him to 1.1 billion years from now. Though he traveled time, Rob was always on Earth all the time.

Question: When Rob would see less complex organisms, gear B or gear C?
Answer: gear C

Situation: Rob knows a brilliant scientist who has made a time machine. One day, the scientist let Rob travel time with his machine. Rob noticed that the machine had four gears, gear A, gear B, gear C, and gear D. Rob started with Gear A, which represented the present time. Then he pushed the gear to gear B, which was 600 million years from now. Then he further pushed the gear to gear C, which brought him to 800 million years from now. Finally, he pushed the gear to gear D, which brought him to 1.1 billion years from now. Though he traveled time, Rob was always on Earth all the time.

Question: Would Rob see less or more complex organisms in gear B than in gear C?
Answer: more

Situation: Rob knows a brilliant scientist who has made a time machine. One day, the scientist let Rob travel time with his machine. Rob noticed that the machine had four gears, gear A, gear B, gear C, and gear D. Rob started with Gear A, which represented the present time. Then he pushed the gear to gear B, which was 600 million years from now. Then he further pushed the gear to gear C, which brought him to 800 million years from now. Finally, he pushed the gear to gear D, which brought him to 1.1 billion years from now. Though he traveled time, Rob was always on Earth all the time.

Question: Would Rob see less or more complex organisms in gear C than in gear B?
Answer: less

Situation: Rob knows a brilliant scientist who has made a time machine. One day, the scientist let Rob travel time with his machine. Rob noticed that the machine had four gears, gear A, gear B, gear C, and gear D. Rob started with Gear A, which represented the present time. Then he pushed the gear to gear B, which was 600 million years from now. Then he further pushed the gear to gear C, which brought him to 800 million years from now. Finally, he pushed the gear to gear D, which brought him to 1.1 billion years from now. Though he traveled time, Rob was always on Earth all the time.

Question: When Rob would see more liquid water on Earth's surface, gear C or gear D?
Answer: gear C

Situation: Rob knows a brilliant scientist who has made a time machine. One day, the scientist let Rob travel time with his machine. Rob noticed that the machine had four gears, gear A, gear B, gear C, and gear D. Rob started with Gear A, which represented the present time. Then he pushed the gear to gear B, which was 600 million years from now. Then he further pushed the gear to gear C, which brought him to 800 million years from now. Finally, he pushed the gear to gear D, which brought him to 1.1 billion years from now. Though he traveled time, Rob was always on Earth all the time.

Question: When Rob would see less liquid water on Earth's surface, gear C or gear D?
Answer: gear D