Geologist finds 2.1 billion year old fossils in Gabon

Geologist Abderrazak El Albani discovered fossil structures in Gabon that suggest complex multicellular life existed much earlier than previously believed.

El Albani, a professor at the University of Poitiers in France, identified these fossils while visiting a quarry in Gabon in 2008. The structures date back approximately 2.1 billion years. This finding challenged the traditional scientific consensus that complex life did not appear until at least 500 to 600 million years ago.

El Albani and his team interpreted the remains as soft-bodied organisms, similar to jellyfish, which had a very low probability of being preserved in the fossil record. To prove these findings, El Albani collaborated with an international team of experts in biogeochemistry, mineralogy, and paleobiology. The group published research showing the biodiversity of these forms and provided evidence that some organisms could move or float in water.

They also linked the development of these complex life forms to a significant increase in oxygen levels on Earth roughly 2.1 billion years ago. El Albani now uses these geological insights to study the origins of life and the possibility of life on other planets like Mars. He also researches the environmental conditions of early Homo sapiens in Jebel Irhoud, Morocco.

El Albani argues that humans represent only a tiny fraction of Earth's 4.5 billion year history and warns that the current speed of climate change poses a threat to the planet's future.