ArticleScientific reports2024
The importance of continents, oceans and plate tectonics for the evolution of complex life: implications for finding extraterrestrial civilizations.
Article in Scientific reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Insights into early continental crust formation from the most ancient heart of Scotland.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Rocky Planets as Heat Engines.Space science reviews · 2026Review
- Water Versus Land on Temperate Rocky Planets.Space science reviews · 2026Review
- Exo-Geoscience Perspectives Beyond Habitability.Space science reviews · 2026Review
- Potential incompatibility of inherited behavior patterns with civilization: Implications for Fermi paradox.Science progressArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Within the uncertainties of involved astronomical and biological parameters, the Drake Equation typically predicts that there should be many exoplanets in our galaxy hosting active, communicative civilizations (ACCs). These optimistic calculations are however not supported by evidence, which is often referred to as the Fermi Paradox. Here, we elaborate on this long-standing enigma by showing the importance of planetary tectonic style for biological evolution. We summarize growing evidence that a prolonged transition from Mesoproterozoic active single lid tectonics (1.6 to 1.0 Ga) to modern plate tectonics occurred in the Neoproterozoic Era (1.0 to 0.541 Ga), which dramatically accelerated emergence and evolution of complex species. We further suggest that both continents and oceans are required for ACCs because early evolution of simple life must happen in water but late evolution of advanced life capable of creating technology must happen on land. We resolve the Fermi Paradox (1) by adding two additional terms to the Drake Equation: f
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Registered trials
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