Cardiff, Wales – A recent study challenges the long-held belief that complex life forms first appeared on Earth 635 million years ago. Scientists from Cardiff University in Wales discovered evidence suggesting that life may have existed over a billion years earlier. The international team of researchers found environmental evidence indicating the presence of complex life forms 1.5 billion years earlier than previously thought, although they did not spread globally.
The evidence was uncovered in marine sedimentary rocks from the Franceville Basin near Gabon in Central Africa. The rocks bear witness to an underwater volcanic event that occurred 2.1 billion years ago when two Precambrian continents collided. Dr. Ernest Chi Fru, lead author of the study from Cardiff University’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, highlighted the significance of phosphorus availability in the environment for the evolution of life on Earth.
The study examined two Precambrian cratons, the Congo and São Francisco cratons. These stable Archaean blocks were once part of a single landmass that spanned central Africa and eastern Brazil. Researchers believe that the collision and suturing of these cratons created an underwater volcanic environment that fostered cyanobacterial photosynthesis, generating a nutrient-rich shallow marine inland sea.
According to Fru, the underwater volcanic environment provided the necessary energy to promote an increase in body size and complex behavior observed in primitive animal-like life forms. While these complex life forms did not spread globally due to the restricted nature of the underwater region, the study suggests that a second attempt led to the creation of the animal biodiversity observed on Earth today.
The researchers’ findings may shed light on the origins of large macroorganism fossils that have been a subject of debate in the scientific community. By uncovering evidence of complex life forms existing much earlier than previously believed, the study prompts a reevaluation of the timeline for life’s evolution on Earth. The discovery of this ancient marine ecosystem challenges existing theories and opens up new avenues for research into the early stages of life on our planet.