The mindblowing way rocks "survive" and evolve

Life is evolving, that's pretty clear no matter what some people are saying bad about evolution (it may not exist for them but life is still evolving with or whitout them). In the contect of the life the evolution of the minerals can be or it really is pretty weird for many people, but the idea is still interesting enough to study it as an idea. One may be convinced later if it's a good idea or not, but for the moment wow did mineral evolution shape our planet? Robert Hazen, a renowned mineralogist, shares for the BigThink channel his fascinating insights into the co-evolution of minerals and life on Earth.

Science has shown us that the universe started with a mere few dozen minerals, and those have since evolved into thousands of minerals. This discovery has proven that evolution does not apply only to living systems, like flora and fauna, but is relevant to non-living systems as well.

Hazen highlights a deeper connection between these living and non-living systems, emphasizing that all evolving systems share three critical characteristics: interacting components, the generation of new configurations, and a selection mechanism. Whether it’s atoms and molecules forming minerals, genes in living organisms, or musical notes creating new compositions, these principles apply universally.

When considering how living and non-living systems evolve alongside one another, we can begin to understand how truly connected all of the universe’s systems may be. Thanks to this knowledge, we may be closer to discovering our place in the cosmos.