A team of scientists working in Gabon has found evidence indicating that complex life on Earth might have started 1.5 billion years earlier than previously believed.

The researchers discovered environmental conditions conducive to animal life in rocks dating back 2.1 billion years.

However, the life forms, possibly similar to slime molds, were confined to an inland sea and did not spread globally.

While the study, led by Professor E est Chi Fru of Cardiff University, proposes that these early organisms were supported by high levels of oxygen and phosphorus from volcanic activity, other experts, like Professor Graham Shields of University College London, remain skeptical, calling for more evidence.

The debate centers around the interpretation of the Francevillian formation fossils and the nutrient-rich conditions suggested by the sediment cores. The findings are detailed in the jou al Precambrian Research.


(colombotimes.lk)