In the early years of the Solar System, Earth was home to 20 minerals, which evolved to almost 6,000 known minerals today
Photo: iStock Scientists have proposed a new evolutionary law that can explain the evolution of living and non-living entities, from minerals to stars. The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Natural systems, living and non-living entities, evolve to states of greater patterning, diversity and complexity, the study noted.
As life evolved from single-celled to multi-celled organisms, Earth’s minerals, for example, became more complex, creating diversity. This, in turn, drove biological evolution.
Biodiversity leads to mineral diversity and vice-versa. The two systems, biological and mineral, interacted to create life as we know it today, the researchers explained.
“The richness and complexity that we see all around us — both in our everyday lives and throughout the universe — is startling, beautiful and deeply puzzling. We are interested in developing a theory that explains why we observe what we do,” Michael L Wong from the Carnegie Institution for Science and study’s author, told Down To Earth.
The study was also authored by philosophers of science. “One unique thing about this paper is that it represents a collaboration not just between numerous interdisciplinary scientists, but between scientists and philosophers of science,” Wong added.
He noted that the philosophers' perspectives were essential in developing and sharpening the ideas in the paper.
The researchers proposed that evolution occurs when a new configuration or a new arrangement of atoms and molecules works well and functions improve.
Selection of function, they explained, is key to evolution. Darwin defined function as primarily with survival but the new study highlights at least three kinds of functions that occur in nature.
The first function is stability, which means systems made up of stable arrangements of atoms or molecules will continue to survive. The second one includes dynamic systems with energy supply. The third is “novelty” — the tendency of evolving systems to explore new configurations or arrangements that can give rise to new behaviours or characteristics.
An example of novelty is when single-celled organisms evolved to use light to make food. Other examples include new behaviours among multi-cellular species such as swimming, walking, flying and thinking.
Similarly, early minerals on Earth possessed a stable arrangement of atoms, which acted as foundations for the evolution of the next generations of minerals.
These minerals were then incorporated into life. For example, minerals are present in living organisms’ shells, teeth and bones.
For example, in the early years of the Solar System, Earth was home to 20 minerals, which evolved to almost 6,000 known minerals today thanks to ever more complex physical, chemical and ultimately biological processes over 4.5 billion years.
As for stars, the first ones that formed after the Big Bang had two main ingredients: Hydrogen and helium. Those earliest stars used these ingredients to make about 20 heavier chemical elements. The next generation of stars consequently produced almost 100 more elements.
“The universe generates novel combinations of atoms, molecules, cells, etc. Those combinations that are stable and can go on to engender even more novelty will continue to evolve,” Wong explained in a statement.
Wong told DTE that the law has implications for a wide range of complex evolving systems. He hopes to collaborate with more scientists to understand how their proposed law might apply to various domains of science, ranging from astrophysics to ecology to artificial intelligence.
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