In the Universe, there are numerous complex and ever-evolving systems, ranging from the growth of stars to prebiotic chemistry. However, unlike many other physical phenomena, there has not yet been a specific law to represent their variable nature.
An interdisciplinary group of scientists from the USA, including astrobiologists, philosophers, mineralogists, theoretical physicists, and specialists, have come to this conclusion based on their data. In their article, they discuss the existence of a “missing law” of nature.
According to their study, evolution in all its forms inevitably leads to greater order, diversity, and complexity in natural systems. Evolution is not restricted solely to the biosphere of Earth; it also occurs in other complex systems such as the solar system, stars, atoms, and minerals.
“The Universe generates new combinations of atoms, molecules, cells, and so on,” says astrobiologist Michael Wong, the lead author of the study from the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington. “Combinations that are stable and able to give rise to even more novelty will continue to evolve.”
The scientists also explain how hydrogen and helium, the two most common elements in the early Universe, fused together to form the first stars. Over the course of its lifespan, a star can create over 100 elements with around 2000 different isotopes.
On Earth, there is an immense variety of minerals that originated from simple principles during the planet’s formation billions of years ago. Currently, more than 5,900 species of minerals have been identified on Earth, and they have become increasingly chemically complex with the emergence of new life forms that released oxygen into the atmosphere.
Wong and his team emphasize that the physical laws governing the motion, gravity, electromagnetism, and thermodynamics also regulate the functions of macroscopic natural systems in space and time. Therefore, it is logical to assume the existence of a law of nature for evolution.
The study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.