Our brains handle days, years, and maybe even centuries reasonably well. But once you start talking about millions of years, or comparing ancient civilizations to modern events, our sense of time begins to fall apart. Things we assume existed together often lived worlds apart, while events that feel impossibly distant can be surprisingly close on the grand timeline of history.

When most people imagine space, they picture a vast emptiness dotted with stars and galaxies. In reality, the universe is far more structured than that. Galaxies are not scattered randomly through space. Instead, they form an immense cosmic web made up of filaments, clusters, and enormous empty regions known as voids.

When most people think about ancient civilizations, their minds usually drift toward Egypt, Rome, the Maya, or perhaps Machu Picchu high in the Andes. Rarely does anyone picture the American Midwest.