the evolution of intelligent life into a cultured and technological civilization.the evolution of advanced life forms into intelligence.the evolution of those molecules into life itself.the evolution of those elements into the molecular building blocks of life.the evolution of stars into heavy elements.the evolution of those atoms into galaxies and stars.the evolution of primal energy into elementary particles and atoms.Of central importance, we can now trace a chain of knowledge-a loose continuity along an impressive hierarchy-sequentially linking: In short, what Darwinism does for plants and animals, cosmic evolution aspires to do for all things. These are the changes that have produced our Galaxy, our Sun, our Earth, and ourselves.Īs such, the most familiar kind of evolution-biological evolution, or neo-Darwinism-is just one subset of a much broader evolutionary scheme encompassing much more than mere life on Earth.
To quote some long-forgotten wit, "Hydrogen is a light, odorless gas which, given enough time, changes into people." More seriously, cosmic evolution comprises the sum total of all the many varied changes in the assembly and composition of radiation, matter, and life throughout the history of the Universe. Simply defined, cosmic evolution is the study of change-the vast number of developmental and generative changes that have accumulated during all time and across all space, from big bang to humankind. We are attempting to sketch the unifying scenario of cosmic evolution, a powerful new epic for the new millennium. Scientists are now beginning to decipher how all known objects-from atoms to galaxies, from cells to brains, from people to society-are interrelated. It is even more humbling at first-but then wonderfully enlightening-to recognize that evolutionary changes, operating over almost incomprehensible space and nearly inconceivable time, have given birth to everything seen around us. It is perhaps a sobering thought that we seem so inconsequential in the Universe. Adapted from Cosmic Evolution: The Rise of Complexity in Nature, published by Harvard University Press, 2001
0 kommentar(er)
