The Progression of Life: Before, Now, and In the Future; Here and Elsewhere

Evolution and abiogenesis are usually considered two different topics in biology. However, recent work on the relationship between thermodynamics and life, as well as complexity and evolution, suggest that these topics may all be intimately related. Leveraging novel research on thermodynamics and complexity theory, I attempt to show that thermodynamics seems to exert a universal selective pressure (entropic pressure). This pressure seems to exist on the atomic and molecular level, biological level, and even societal level, and results in a number of interesting consequences. There is still much work to do in order to increase our understanding of the relationship between thermodynamics, complexity theory, abiogenesis, and evolution. Understanding entropic pressure may allow for robust predictions about life in the past and the potential nature of life in the future, and help us better predict the nature and scarcity of life beyond this world.