Francevillian biota
Biota francevillian
- Date
- c. 2010 · confidence low
- Place
- Franceville, Haut-Ogooué, Gabon
- Credited to
- Abderrazak El Albani
- Field
- Life & health
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What was discovered
2.1-billion-year-old macroscopic structures found in black shales of Gabon by a team led by Abderrazak El Albani, proposed as the earliest evidence of multicellular, eukaryotic life.
Their interpretation as fossils of multicellular organisms remains scientifically disputed.
What it led to
- Revision of the timeline for the emergence of complex life
- Scientific debate over criteria for recognising very ancient fossils
- New geological surveys of the Francevillian Formation