‘Survival of the fittest’ may also apply to the nonliving, report finds

Proposed law of nature says systems such as stars and hurricanes are made up in varying ways, with some succeeding and others failing

Darwin’s theory of evolution, with natural selection at its core, conjures up images of flourishing life. But now researchers have suggested a similar mechanism may apply to the realm of the nonliving too, underpinning what they have called nature’s “missing law”.

A team of scientists and philosophers say many systems – including minerals, changes within stars and even hurricanes – are made up of multiple components that can come together in myriad ways, some of which persist while others fall by the wayside.