Techno fossils: The Legacy of Our Civilization
Throughout history, we have discovered dinosaur fossils, which became extinct about 65 million years ago after dominating Earth for approximately 165 million years.
This raises a fundamental question: what traces will our civilization leave behind?
“The problem with fossils is that only a small fraction of terrestrial life is fossilized,” says astrophysicist Adam Frank from the University of Rochester (USA).
Natural fossils undergo a transformation process that takes millions of years. However, in the modern era, humans are creating another type of footprint: so-called techno fossils.
These include:
- Plastics
- Industrial metals
- Technological waste
Scientists Adam Frank and Paul Davis, in the book Discarded (2025), argue that these remains will be the true legacy of humanity. Humans (Homo sapiens) have existed for only a tiny fraction of Earth’s geological history—approximately 300,000 years out of 4.54 billion years.
This leads to a profound reflection:
“We may be a civilization that will not be remembered for what it built… but for what it left behind”.
Source: University of Rochester, Discarded (2025)