18 The Universe and Life 



energy dissipated, is greater than the quantity of 

 biological material built up. 



Thus if these are the only processes that occur, and 

 if the universe is finite in the quantity of material 

 and energy it contains, the general result of the two 

 processes together is a lowering of the level of the 

 whole. The universe, taken as containing both bio- 

 logical and physical material, would then, on the 

 whole, be running down. The process of building up 

 biological material at the expense of physical ma- 

 terial could not, therefore, go on forever. So, on these 

 assumptions, the building up of biological material 

 must in time come to an end. The universe as a whole 

 would eventually become inactive, dead; life would 

 cease. 



But it is not certain that these assumptions are 

 correct. Of late we hear again of the infinity of the 

 universe as a popular doctrine in physics. If the 

 universe is quantitatively infinite, there is the possi- 

 bility of unending development of living things. And 

 we have seen, in the reports of the recent meetings of 

 the American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science, that there are physicists who hold it prob- 

 able that, even in physical material, processes of up- 

 building occur which are not overbalanced by com- 

 pensating breakdown. If this turns out to be the 

 case, biological development may continue without 

 end. In the present state of physics, no one can say 

 that the development of life may not continue indefi- 

 nitely. 



