Life is complex. And it is constantly evolving. We’ve known this since Darwin. But it’s not just her. Our entire universe is complex. He is also evolving. This is in the nature of things, researchers now say.
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[EN VIDÉO] What is Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution? Charles Darwin proposes a mechanism to explain the evolution of species over time:…
The theory of evolution, put forward by Charles Darwin in 1859, is now known to everyone. Living things change over time. They acquire characteristics that aid their survival and reproduction. That is essentially what this theory teaches us. But the British naturalist probably couldn’t have imagined that it might one day become part of a much more universal “missing” law of nature. A law that would govern not just the living world but everything around us, from stars to minerals to hurricanes to atoms.
At the heart of the evolution of the universe is functional selection
The principle of functional selection would therefore go beyond that of natural selection. Regardless of whether the system is alive or not, the interactions between its components constantly create new configurations. Sometimes up to billions of different arrangements. But only a few “work”. Understand that they have a certain level of functionality. Like atoms that form a stable mineral crystal that can last. Or a life form that “learns something that gives it an advantage over its neighbor.”
Then evolution begins. This is what a multidisciplinary team of researchers says. Astrobiologists, philosophers of science, mineralogists, physicists and even data processing experts. They just published their work in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Darwin, theory of evolution
Researchers recall that Darwin made a connection between function and survival when it came to living things. The primary function of an organism is to stay alive long enough to reproduce. Nature turns out to be a little richer. The structure consists of three main types of functions.
Three functions for the evolution of the universe
The most basic function would therefore be stability, the ability to persist over time. What scientists call static persistence. And in fact, it is the stable arrangements of atoms and molecules that nature initially selects for construction.
The other universal function: sustainability of active processes that enable evolution. Nature seems to particularly value dynamic systems that are maintained through access to constant sources of energy. In other words, dynamic persistence this time.
Finally, the third and perhaps most interesting feature is novelty. Scientists use it to describe the tendency of evolving systems to explore new configurations, sometimes leading to new behaviors or surprising properties. This happened, for example, in photosynthesis.
A natural law that leads to life?
“We suspect that selection based on static persistence, dynamic persistence and novelty generation is a universal process that leads to systems with more functional information,” the researchers conclude.
“Life as a common result of evolution”
Enough to understand a little better why our universe continues to evolve into more structured, diverse and complex systems. And maybe even look at life from a new perspective. “If the increasing functionality of evolving physical and chemical systems is determined by a missing natural law, we can assume that life is a common result of planetary evolution,” notes astronomer Jonathan Lunine in a Cornell University press release.