People Wonder If Humans Could One Day Turn Into Fossil Fuels — Here’s What Scientists Think Would Happen

Most people know that fossil fuels come from buried remains of living organisms from millions of years ago. So, naturally, a lot of them also wonder whether human beings could one day turn into fossil fuels, too?

Because why not, right? We are living organisms, and we often have burial traditions for our deceased. Maybe, after millions of years, our remains could also turn into the fuel of the future generation. It may sound like science fiction, but scientists have also thought of this possibility. However, to understand the answer deeply, we need to examine how fossil fuels are actually formed and what the requirements are for their development.

What Are Fossil Fuels—and Where Do They Come From?

One of the most common notions about fossil fuels was that they came from the dinosaurs’ remains. However, this idea is wrong, because most of the fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas we use today in our cars and cities are from tiny living organisms of the past, not from the bigger animals like a T.rex or mammoth.

So, what really are fossil fuels? They are special carbon materials that are usually formed underground over millions of years. The majority came from tiny living creatures such as algae, ancient plants, and other microorganisms. After they pass away, these lifeforms often fall to the bottom of the lakes and seas.

They will eventually be buried by rocks and various sediments, and over time, will be chemically transformed because of the heat and pressure. These specific orders of events are what will turn them into the fossil fuels we dig up and utilize in today’s world.

Read more: ScienceLine

Could Human Bodies Ever Become Fossil Fuels?

Fossil Fuels 101

If we think about it, the process that made the fossil fuels can be replicated with human remains, such as by being buried under the right conditions. So, in theory, after a very long time, humans could become fossil fuels. However, this assumes everything went perfectly, which will often not be the case.

In real life, after considering all the outside factors, the answer to the question will most probably be no. It is unlikely for human remains to one day become the fossil fuels that future civilizations will dig up and use as their energy source. One of the reasons is that human beings are small, and even our collective bodies will not be equal to the amount that the ancient algae, plants, and microbes can produce.

A study by PNAS found that plants actually account for around 82% of the total biomass of Earth, which refers to the weight of living organisms. If we add bacteria to this number, it is actually over 95%. In other words, human beings, including all animals, only account for a very small amount that will not be sufficient to produce any meaningful quantity of fossil fuels.

How Fossil Fuels Form—and Why Humans Don’t Fit the Pattern

The total biomass of humans is not the only problem why it is unlikely for us to become fossil fuels. The absolutely perfect conditions needed are the number one reason. First, you need a massive amount of organic material—like layers of algae or plants. The total population of human beings in the world, even accounting for our history, is just too small.

The scale needed to produce the amount of fossil fuels we are using today is far beyond the human population, even at our peak of over 8 billion. The next requirement is immediate burial, in specific locations, under wet, low-oxygen areas, like swamps or sea floors. However, the problem is that human remains decompose relatively quickly, because of oxidation and other natural processes.

The last is enough time to pass, where the organic material is buried under pressure and heat to chemically transform the material. Human bodies are too easy to break down, and too fast; they will probably not last that long under these conditions. Our remains over time are more likely to decompose, fossilize, or mummify, instead of turning into usable fossil fuels 

Read more: IFLScience | Wikipedia

What Do Scientists Say—and What’s the Reality?

What Is Fossil Fuel? | FOSSIL FUELS | The Dr Binocs Show | Kids Learning Video | Peekaboo Kidz

The reality is that humans turning into fossil fuels is very unlikely for the reasons explained above. However, the best supporting argument for the answer would be to look at the history.

There is a particular group of living organisms that existed millions of years ago, and are much heavier and larger than human beings. They also existed in greater numbers because of how long they have lived on this planet. However, even with their feats, they did not turn into the fossil fuels that we majority use today.

That group refers to the most dominant creatures of the Mesozoic era, the dinosaurs. This is because they failed to meet the same strict requirements for turning into fossil fuels, which would also apply to humans. Still, many people think the dinosaurs of the past are our main source of fossil fuels, but as said before, this is a wrong idea.

For an in-depth explanation to this misconception, here is the article: Many People Still Think Oil Comes From Dinosaurs — But This Is What Scientists Say Really Created It

Author's Final Thoughts

So could humans one day turn into fossil fuels? Hypothetically and technically, maybe—but the scientific answer is that it is highly unlikely. The fossil fuels we use today came from ancient plants and microorganisms whose biomass scale is beyond what the human population is.

Along with the perfect conditions required, the chances of human bodies turning into fossil fuel are extremely small, and even if it does, it will be insignificant to the grand scheme of things.

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