Origins : Complexity Rising 18 x 24 inches, Oil on Panel, A new painting from an earlier study.

We tend to think of evolution as a biological process of rising complexity that began with single-celled organisms here on earth, but the universe has been undergoing a cosmic evolution of growing complexity from the very beginning.

Before there could be cells, there needed to be complex molecules and an array of elements to make them. The earliest known events of the universe generated only a few of the lightest elements: hydrogen, helium, and trace amounts of lithium. Until the first stars formed and began fusing protons and neutrons into larger nuclei the universe was devoid of heavier elements, including the carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen of which we are made. Other processes took these elements and bonded them into basic amino acids and other molecular building blocks of life as we know it.

Biological evolution on our planet is thought to be nearly as old as the Earth, but the complexity that made it possible has been accumulating since time began.

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Origin Story: A Big History of Everything

Every culture, religion, and community has its narrative of how this world originated. This narrative tells the people in that community why our landscapes look the way they are, why we have different seasons, why the sky rains, and, more importantly, how we humans came to be. Without an explanation of what makes us us, one is vulnerable to feelings of misery and hopelessness. History has been used by people since the beginning of civilization as a tool telling us that we are meaningful beings. This is why every country and community focuses greatly on unifying one narrative – or one history – to be taught to their youngsters.

By expanding history's range to 13.7 billion years, the age of the universe, David Christian makes history truly interdisciplinary.

In 1989, David Christian, Distinguished Professor of History at Macquarie University, recognized a division in modern academia. Different disciplines, such as physics, philosophy, literature, and chemistry, rarely have conversations with each other. This makes it difficult for humanity as a whole to share a common origin narrative. After all, the common goal for both scientists and artists is to better serve humanity. To unite seemingly unrelated disciplines, David Christian developed a new history subject called "Big History." Big History examines the origin of humanity not from the perspective of conventional historical studies, where history begins at the start of civilization, but from the Big Bang.

Bill Gates Says He’ll Eventually Sell Everything He Owns to Fund His Philanthropies

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said he will donate a vast amount of his fortune to his philanthropic endeavors including much of the farmland he currently owns. Gates is currently the seventh richest man in the world with a net worth of $103.6 billion according to Forbes, and he’s now pledging to give away most of his… Read more…