scholarly journals Mineral extinction

2019 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 621-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart J. Mills ◽  
Andrew G. Christy
Keyword(s):  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Mineral Species ◽  
Geochronological Data ◽  
Secondary Minerals ◽  
Geological Record ◽  
Biological Concept ◽  
Secondary Species ◽  
Mineral Occurrence ◽  
Uranium Sources

Abstract‘Mineral evolution’ has attracted much attention in the last decade as a counterpart of the long-established biological concept, but is there a corresponding ‘mineral extinction’? We present new geochronological data from uranium-bearing secondary minerals and show that they are relatively recent, irrespective of the age of their primary uranium sources. The secondary species that make up much of the diversity of minerals appear to be ephemeral, and many may have vanished from the geological record without trace. Nevertheless, an ‘extinct’ mineral species can recur when physiochemical conditions are appropriate. This reversibility of ‘extinction’ highlights the limitations of the ‘evolution’ analogy. Mineral occurrence may be time-dependent but does not show the unique contingency between precursor and successor species that is characteristic of biological evolution.

Time-dependent extinction rate and species abundance in a tangled-nature model of biological evolution

2002 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Hall ◽  
Kim Christensen ◽  
Simone A. di Collobiano ◽  
Henrik Jeldtoft Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Species Abundance ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Extinction Rate

The mineralogy of efflorescence on As calciner buildings in SW England

2009 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Power ◽  
D. Pirrie ◽  
G. S. Camm ◽  
J. C. Ø. Andersen
Keyword(s):  
S Phase ◽  
Mineral Species ◽  
Secondary Mineral ◽  
Volatile Elements ◽  
Potassium Alum ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Secondary Minerals ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Ore Types

Arsenic is a very common by-product of the processing of Cu, Au and polymetallic ores worldwide, where the ore is roasted (calcined) to remove volatile elements. In southwest England, a diverse range of As-mineral species occur as efflorescent secondary mineral growths on historic calciner buildings. Gypsum occurs as abundant dendritic growths comprising either interlocking blades or tabular crystals. Ca-arsenate minerals are locally very abundant as white colloform masses. Positively identified Ca arsenates include pharmacolite, weilite and haidingerite. Other secondary minerals include arsenolite, scorodite, bukovskyite and an As-bearing potassium alum, together with a wide variety of unidentified minerals, including an Al-As-S phase and As-rich F-bearing phases. Gypsum contains As concentrations up to ~7 wt.%. Efflorescent growth at sites exposed to the prevailing weather systems is less abundant than at sheltered sites. This is interpreted as being due to ‘pressure washing’ of exposed sites by driving rain. Successive concentric growths of gypsum and Ca arsenate on masonry are interpreted as being the result of seasonal crystallization.Understanding both current and historicalmining and mineralprocessing methods is criticalin the evaluation of the potential impact on the modern environment. In particular, due to the abundance of As-bearing minerals in a wide range of ore types, many buildings worldwide are potentially significantly contaminated with As even though few are directly related to As production or handling. Characterizing the secondary As mineralspecies present at mine and mineralprocessing sites is critical in understanding the potentialheal th risk these sites might pose.

scholarly journals The virtue of innovation: innovation through the lenses of biological evolution

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (103) ◽  
pp. 20141183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas B. Kell ◽  
Elena Lurie-Luke
Keyword(s):  
Fitness Landscape ◽  
New Products ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Objective Functions ◽  
Biological Concept ◽  
General Terms ◽  
Disruptive Innovations ◽  
To Come ◽  
Platonic View ◽  
Evolutionary Fitness

We rehearse the processes of innovation and discovery in general terms, using as our main metaphor the biological concept of an evolutionary fitness landscape. Incremental and disruptive innovations are seen, respectively, as successful searches carried out locally or more widely. They may also be understood as reflecting evolution by mutation (incremental) versus recombination (disruptive). We also bring a platonic view, focusing on virtue and memory. We use ‘virtue’ as a measure of efforts, including the knowledge required to come up with disruptive and incremental innovations, and ‘memory’ as a measure of their lifespan, i.e. how long they are remembered. Fostering innovation, in the evolutionary metaphor, means providing the wherewithal to promote novelty, good objective functions that one is trying to optimize, and means to improve one's knowledge of, and ability to navigate, the landscape one is searching. Recombination necessarily implies multi- or inter-disciplinarity. These principles are generic to all kinds of creativity, novel ideas formation and the development of new products and technologies.

Size and History Combine in Allometry Relation of Technology Systems

2020 ◽  
pp. 154851292094232
Author(s):  
Bruce J. West ◽  
Damien West ◽  
Alexander Kott
Keyword(s):  
Broad Class ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
System Size ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Technology System ◽  
Technology Knowledge ◽  
Evolution Analysis ◽  
Military Systems ◽  
Average Size ◽  
Technology Systems

Complex systems often exhibit amazingly regular behavior through allometry relations (ARs) between their functional attributes and their size. An empirical allometry relation (EAR) between two properties of a complex system relates the average functionality [Formula: see text] and the average size [Formula: see text][Formula: see text] = a[Formula: see text] where the allometry coefficient a and allometry exponent b are empirical constants fit to data. This EAR is a static relation and is found in every sub-discipline of Natural History. Herein we establish, both empirically and theoretically, that for some classes of evolving technology systems, the empirical allometry coefficient a is not constant, but is strongly dependent on the historical time at which the technology system originated. Specifically, we construct an EAR with a time-dependent coefficient, using the evolution of a broad class of military systems, over the last ten centuries, ranging from a medieval bowman to a modern rifleman, from a horse-drawn cannon to a tank. This time-dependent EAR is derived from fundamental considerations involving complexity, scaling, and renormalization group theory. The theory entails an information as well as complexity generalization of the traditional allometry coefficient that combines system size with the technology knowledge of the new system’s developers (time-dependence). It relates technology ARs to technology evolution relations, such as Moore’s Law, with implications for technology drawn from biological evolution analysis.

scholarly journals Formation of Fe- and Mg-Rich Smectite under Hyperalkaline Conditions at Narra in Palawan, Philippines

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Misato Shimbashi ◽  
Tsutomu Sato ◽  
Naoki Fujii ◽  
Minoru Yamakawa ◽  
Tsubasa Otake
Keyword(s):  
Formation Process ◽  
Safety Assessment ◽  
Crystalline Material ◽  
Mineral Species ◽  
Secondary Mineral ◽  
Secondary Minerals ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Alkaline Conditions ◽  
Early Mars ◽  
Geochemical Investigation

Formation of Fe- and Mg-rich smectite and zeolite under alkaline conditions is concerned as secondary minerals after alkaline alteration of bentonite in a repository of radioactive wastes. It might be crucial for safety assessment whether smectite will be formed or not as secondary minerals after alkaline alteration of bentonite. In present paper, Fe- and Mg-rich smectite which are currently interacting with hyperalkaline groundwater was found at Narra in Palawan, Philippines. Mineralogical and geochemical investigation was conducted to understand formation process of smectite and factors determined secondary mineral species. Our study revealed a certain amount of smectite may have been produced under hyperalkaline conditions, altered from amorphous or poorly crystalline material such as M-S-H and F-S-H. Key factor which decides smectite or zeolite as secondary minerals after alkaline alteration of bentonite might be whether nuclei of M-S-H and/or F-S-H will be formed or not. This might be decided by the presence of dissolved Mg2+ and Fe2+ in the system. Our suggested formation process of smectite under alkaline conditions is analogue with generally-accepted model of smectite formation that might have been occurred on early Mars.

The Tempo and mode(S) of Prebiotic Evolution

1997 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 419-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Lazcano
Keyword(s):  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Early Diversification ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
History Of ◽  
Widespread Phenomenon ◽  
The Origin Of Life

AbstractDifferent current ideas on the origin of life are critically examined. Comparison of the now fashionable FeS/H2S pyrite-based autotrophic theory of the origin of life with the heterotrophic viewpoint suggest that the later is still the most fertile explanation for the emergence of life. However, the theory of chemical evolution and heterotrophic origins of life requires major updating, which should include the abandonment of the idea that the appearance of life was a slow process involving billions of years. Stability of organic compounds and the genetics of bacteria suggest that the origin and early diversification of life took place in a time period of the order of 10 million years. Current evidence suggest that the abiotic synthesis of organic compounds may be a widespread phenomenon in the Galaxy and may have a deterministic nature. However, the history of the biosphere does not exhibits any obvious trend towards greater complexity or «higher» forms of life. Therefore, the role of contingency in biological evolution should not be understimated in the discussions of the possibilities of life in the Universe.

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