I will explain how 3+1-physics arises on suitable space-time branes in the IKKT model, without compactification of target space. At weak coupling, all fluctuation modes propagate on the brane, governed by a universal metric. At the one-loop level, an Einstein-Hilbert term arises for branes with a suitable structure. The extreme IR regime is governed by the bare matrix model action, which naturally admits an FLRW cosmology, leading to a higher-spin gauge theory. The mechanism is orthogonal to but consistent with the orthodox picture in string theory.