There Might Have Been Another Race Before Humans: The Forgotten Story of Advanced Prehistoric Civilizations

In a world where the internet connects billions and spreads ideas at the speed of light, one topic that continues to intrigue and spark curiosity is the possibility that an advanced civilization existed on Earth long before humans. Could there have been an intelligent race that left behind no trace, their achievements buried under the weight of geological time? This article explores that question, inspired by the speculative "Soran Hypothesis," and reveals what modern science has uncovered about the hidden history of our planet.

The Soran Hypothesis: An Intriguing Theory

The idea that humans might not be the first advanced civilization on Earth isn't as far-fetched as it sounds. In 2018, British climatologist Gavin Schmidt and American astrophysicist Adam Frank published a paper in the International Journal of Astrobiology, known as the Soran Hypothesis. Though its name comes from a fictional reptilian race in the Doctor Who series, the science behind it is serious. Schmidt and Frank asked a simple, but profound question: If there was an advanced civilization on Earth millions of years ago, how would we know?

Why We Might Never Know

Most people would instinctively answer, "Of course, we'd know!" after all, we'd expect to find clear evidence of cities, monuments, or tools left behind. However, the forces of nature over millions of years are far more powerful than we often imagine. Over time, Earth erodes, reshapes, and recycles itself. Mountains rise and fall, oceans shift, and the wind and rain wear down even the mightiest of structures. If such a civilization existed millions of years ago, it’s highly likely that all physical evidence of its existence would have been erased, ground to dust by the relentless march of geological processes.

Disappearing Civilizations

We can dig up remnants of ancient civilizations like the Romans or the Egyptians because they existed relatively recently in Earth's timeline. Their buildings, tools, and even bones have survived for thousands of years, preserved in a favorable environment. However, the further back we go, the harder it is to find such artifacts. Schmidt and Frank estimate that after just 4 million years, all direct evidence of an industrial civilization like ours would be entirely gone.

To put that into perspective, imagine what would happen to modern skyscrapers, highways, or even entire cities over the course of millions of years. Without constant maintenance, structures would quickly fall apart. Erosion, natural disasters, and plate tectonics would gradually erase them, leaving behind no recognizable trace.

The Fossil Problem

If physical structures disappear over time, what about fossil evidence? Surprisingly, fossils are not as common as we might think. Fossilization requires specific conditions: the organism must be buried quickly in an oxygen-free environment. This typically happens underwater, which is why 99% of all fossils come from marine life. Land-dwelling creatures, especially those in mountainous or jungle environments, are far less likely to fossilize.

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Moreover, only about 0.1% of all species that ever existed are represented in the fossil record. The rest, 99.9%, are simply lost to history. This means that even if a highly advanced civilization existed millions of years ago, there's a good chance their bones, tools, or other remains were never fossilized.

Clues in the Rocks: The Techno-signature Hypothesis

While physical evidence and fossils may be long gone, Schmidt and Frank suggest another way we might detect a long-lost civilization: techno-signatures. Just as our industrial civilization is fundamentally changing the Earth’s environment, a previous civilization might have done the same.

For example, human activities are reshaping the planet in ways that will leave lasting geological marks. We are burning fossil fuels, altering the atmosphere’s carbon isotope balance. We are mining rare Earth elements and using industrial fertilizers that reroute the nitrogen cycle. We're even dumping plastic into the oceans at an alarming rate. These changes, often called the Anthropocene, will eventually be recorded in the Earth’s rock layers.

So, could an ancient civilization have done something similar? Schmidt and Frank point to a mysterious period known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), which occurred about 55.5 million years ago. During this time, the Earth experienced dramatic changes: carbon isotope ratios shifted, temperatures and sea levels rose, and oxygen levels in the oceans plummeted. Sound familiar? It’s eerily similar to what we’re doing today.

Scientists are confident that the PETM was caused by a massive release of carbon into the atmosphere, but the source remains unknown. Theories range from volcanic activity to the release of methane from the ocean floor, but some wonder if an ancient civilization could have been responsible.

Could It Have Been Lizards?

Interestingly, one group of animals seems to have thrived during the PETM: lizards. This has led to a lighthearted, though unlikely, speculation that perhaps intelligent, reptilian beings once ruled the Earth. While there’s no serious evidence to support the idea that lizard people existed, it does highlight the larger point: we can’t rule out the possibility of an ancient, intelligent race without more evidence.

What If They Were Different?

One of the most challenging aspects of identifying an ancient civilization is that we assume it would have left the same kinds of marks on the Earth as we are leaving today. But what if they were different? What if they didn’t rely on fossil fuels, or they used different technologies that didn’t leave a clear geological trace? What if they died out before they reached their own version of the industrial revolution? In that case, we might never find them.

Dinosaurs: The Proof We Missed for Centuries

It’s important to remember that dinosaurs roamed the Earth for millions of years, yet we didn’t recognize their existence until the early 19th century. Before that, nobody had any idea that these giant creatures had ever existed, despite fossil evidence being widespread. It wasn’t until we had the right knowledge and tools that we could piece together the story of their existence. Could the same be true for an advanced prehistoric civilization?

Conclusion: A Thought Experiment

The Soran Hypothesis isn’t really about proving whether or not an ancient civilization existed on Earth millions of years ago. Instead, it’s a thought experiment, encouraging us to keep an open mind. While Schmidt and Frank believe it’s highly unlikely that an advanced race once ruled the planet, they acknowledge that we can’t entirely rule it out either. There may be evidence buried deep in the Earth, waiting for us to discover it.

As technology advances, who knows what we might uncover in the future? If dinosaurs could remain hidden from humanity until relatively recently, perhaps the same could be true of an ancient, intelligent race. For now, the question remains: Were we the first advanced civilization on Earth? Or was there another race before humans, whose legacy has been lost to time?