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A team of scientists and philosophers have proposed a \u201cmissing law of nature\u201d \u2014 one that suggests that evolution occurs not only in living organisms, but other complex systems from planets and stars to atoms, minerals and more.<\/p>\n
The law, the team argues, states that complex natural systems will always evolve to states of greater patterning, diversity and complexity.<\/p>\n
These systems, the team say, are defined after being formed by many different parts, are subject to natural processes that rearrange these components and see only a few configurations survive in a process they call \u201cselection for function\u201d.<\/p>\n
And regardless of whether the system is living or not, evolution can be said to occur when a novel configuration works well and function improves.<\/p>\n
It would join the other macroscopic laws of nature \u2014 such as those that describe electromagnetism, energy, forces, gravity and motion.<\/p>\n
For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to Daily Express US<\/strong><\/p>\n READ MORE: <\/strong> Meet the young frog with a disgusting camouflage gambit \u2014 they mimic animal poo<\/strong><\/p>\n The researchers \u2014 led by astrobiologist Dr Michael Wong of The Carnegie Institution for Science \u2014 have dubbed their concept the \u201cLaw of Increasing Functional Information\u201d.<\/p>\n Wong said: \u201cAn important component of this proposed natural law is the idea of \u2018selection for function\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n In the case of living organisms, Charles Darwin \u2014 the naturalist often called the \u2018Father of Evolution\u2019 \u2014 equated function primarily with survival, or living long enough to produce fertile offspring.<\/p>\n What Wong and his colleagues argue, however, is that there are at least three kinds of function in nature.<\/p>\n The first is stability. Stable arrangements of atoms or molecules are selected to continue, as, secondly, are dynamic systems with ongoing supplies of energy.<\/p>\n Thirdly, however, is \u201cnovelty\u201d \u2014 the tendency of evolving systems to explore new configurations that can occasionally produce unexpected new characteristics.<\/p>\n In biology, the history of evolution is full of novelties. Photosynthesis emerged when single cells first learned to harness light energy, for example, whereas multicellular organisms evolved when cells developed the ability to cooperate.<\/p>\n According to the researchers, however, similar evolutions can be seen in the mineral kingdom, with the earliest minerals representing particularly stable arrangements of atoms.<\/p>\n These basic minerals then provided the foundation for the next generation of minerals, which then participated in the origins of life, ultimately helping to build up things like shells, teeth and bones.<\/p>\n In a similar fashion, the first stars that emerged after the Big Bang were primarily fuelled by just two elements \u2014 hydrogen and helium \u2014 from which increasingly heavier elements can be produced.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n DON’T MISS: <\/strong> Paper co-author Dr Robert Hazen \u2014 a mineralogist at Carnegie Science \u2014 said: \u201cCharles Darwin eloquently articulated the way plants and animals evolve by natural selection, with many variations and traits of individuals and many different configurations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe contend that Darwinian theory is just a very special, very important case within a far larger natural phenomenon.<\/p>\n \u201cThe notion that selection for function drives evolution applies equally to stars, atoms, minerals, and many other conceptually equivalent situations where many configurations are subjected to selective pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n Wong concluded: \u201cIn this new paper, we consider evolution in the broadest sense \u2014 change over time \u2014 which subsumes Darwinian evolution based upon the particulars of \u2018descent with modification\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what makes life the most striking example of evolution, but evolution is everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr Corday Selden is an environmental biophysicist at Rutgers University in New Jersey.<\/p>\n Selden said: \u201cThe natural laws we recognize today cannot yet account for one astounding characteristic of our universe \u2014 the propensity of natural systems to \u2018evolve\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the authors of this study attest, the tendency to increase in complexity and function through time is not specific to biology, but is a fundamental property observed throughout the universe.<\/p>\n \u201cWong and colleagues have distilled a set of principles which provide a foundation for cross-disciplinary discourse on evolving systems.<\/p>\n \u201cIn so doing, their work will facilitate the study of self-organization and emergent complexity in the natural world.\u201d<\/p>\n The full findings of the study were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/151\/590x\/secondary\/space-5015619.jpg?r=1697483832939\")
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