EVOLUTION AND HUMAN DESTINY 



creases. As this differential becomes greater the prob- 

 lem of survival of the high extropy biological matter 

 becomes more severe. Only those forms of high extropy 

 matter which have the property of synthesizing their 

 structure from their surroundings have a chance to 

 persist. 



For this reason, most of such highly complex mate- 

 rial that is to exist for any cosmically significant length 

 of time must necessarily show the characteristics of life. 



The method by means of which such complex mat- 

 ter maintains its structure, perhaps more properly 

 termed "the perpetuation of its high extropy status," 

 certainly warrants some consideration. 



In the crystal, more crystalline substance is formed 

 in the proper medium by simple addition of the re- 

 spective atoms or ions to the existing crystal structure. 

 This addition is governed by inter-atomic forces, 

 which result from the structure of the individual 

 atoms. Chemistry speaks of valence and resonance 

 forces. In colloids a similar though far more complex 

 situation prevails. The mechanism of polymerization 

 has also been found to depend upon valence and 

 resonance forces. However the situation here is more 

 difficult to analyze as one deals with a larger number 

 of units as well as with secondary valence and resonance 

 forces, which are not so readily related back to atomic 

 structure. 



In the virus the mechanism of perpetuation appears 

 to be basically still that of the colloid. However a new 



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