Minerals evolve under pressure in the same way life does, researchers find

A digital illustration of Earth in the solar system. Minerals, planets and stars are all complex systems covered by the law of increasing functional information. .

Last year, scientists proposed that all complex systems in the universe evolve in a similar way to life — including stars, planets and technology. Now, researchers claim they've found evidence of this unifying law in minerals. 

The new study is a proof of concept for the recently proposed "missing law" that explains why so many complex systems appear to become more complex over time. This law of increasing functional information, presented in October 2023, expanded Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection to include non-living systems.