Scientists have proposed a new evolutionary law that can explain the evolution of living and non-living entities, from minerals to stars.
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.
Evolution occurs when a new configuration or a new arrangement of atoms and molecules works well and functions improve.
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.