I, an undergraduate god majoring in worldbuilding and accelerated evolution, have been tasked with a simple yet sophisticated job, in lieu of a senior thesis paper. My task: design a world populated with macro-life, which must get them to the point of space-travel as quickly as possible. I have 4 billion years on my hands, but I need to use as little time as I can to accelerate these organisms to this point.
Limitations:
- No technology given directly.
- The starting organism is basically a lizard, and no more advanced.
- No other creatures exist here that aren't earth-like.
- The planet itself cannot be smaller than 1.3 times our own moon.
- Flora is allowed, but only earth-like flora.
- No other organisms exist in this solar system, or can enter.
- No technology is allowed to descend to the planet, not even cameras.
- We are following earth-established physics in this system.
- Spaceflight is defined by leaving the planet and traveling at least 7,000 miles away from it.
- The planet has an earth-like atmosphere, with identical pressure.
- I can not influence anything, nor can I control anything, on or off the planet once the simulation is launched.
In other words, I must accelerate them to this point without any sort of direct help.