Researchers suggest they have found something like a “new law of nature,” in life’s preference for symmetry, reports the New York Times. An “algorithmic picture of evolution” can explain why symmetry is found everywhere in nature, they suggest.

Now, you might expect a nod to sacred geometry, but that’s not mentioned in the article. Perhaps, it’s the perfectly symmetrical elephant in the room?

It’s another recent example where science arrives at concepts found in ancient spiritual concepts without mention. For example, researchers have proposed that Earth is an intelligent entity, mirroring the Gaia hypothesis. 

Perhaps one day, science and spirituality will merge. Until then, some consider it the “crisis of our times” that spirituality and science are considered incompatible opposites. 

Darwin Doesn’t Explain Symmetry

We’ll look at sacred geometry next, but here’s a brief look at what the scientific researchers found.

First, the researchers wanted to answer why symmetry exists throughout nature, from flowers to faces to molecular structures. Problematically, Darwinian evolution – survival of the fittest – doesn’t explain the pervasive symmetry in nature. To learn more, they began analyzing thousands of microscopic biological molecules using techniques from computer science.

According to the Times:

“Researchers analyzed thousands of protein complexes and RNA structures as well as a model network of molecules that control how genes switch on and off. They found that evolution tends toward symmetry because the instructions to produce symmetry are easier to embed in genetic code and follow. Symmetry is maybe the most fundamental application of the adage “work smarter, not harder.”

According to co-author and computer scientist Chico Camargo, the finding was new and extraordinary. “Symmetry and simplicity spontaneously emerge from the algorithmic nature of evolution,” their paper is titled.

“It’s like we found a new law of nature,” said Camargo. “This is beautiful, because it changes how you see the world.”

According to study author, physicist Ard Louis, the evolutionary process is “easier than you might think.” 

“People often are quite amazed that evolution can make these incredible structures, and what we’re showing is that it’s actually easier than you might think,” said Louis. 

Algorithms Not Engineers

Reading the Abstract, you will see the comparison to often simple, symmetrical engineering designs. However, therein lies a problem – it implies planning – by engineers. Instead, they have introduced a new hypothesis of algorithmic evolution.

“Just as monkeys randomly typing into a computer language will preferentially produce outputs that can be generated by shorter algorithms, so the coding theorem from algorithmic information theory predicts that random mutations, when decoded by the process of development, preferentially produce phenotypes with shorter algorithmic descriptions,” they write.

Biological Input-Output Machines

After a decade of studying computer simulations into microscopic biological components, they found a statistical bias toward symmetry.

“The shapes that appear more often are the simpler ones, or the ones that are less crazy,” Dr. Camargo said.

By picturing biological molecules functioning akin to tiny machines, they find an explanation lacking in natural selection.

“Imagining RNA and proteins as little input-output machines that carry out algorithmic genetic instructions explains the tendency toward symmetry in a way that Darwinian’ survival of the fittest hasn’t been able to,” writes Kate Golembiewski. “Because it’s easier to encode instructions for building simple, symmetrical structures, nature winds up with a disproportionate number of these simpler instruction sets to choose from when it comes to natural selection.” 

Related: Is the Universe Learning and Changing the Laws of Physics?

Symmetry and Sacred Geometry 

As the scientists suggest, symmetry spontaneously arises, as with computer algorithms – by a sort of economy of design. However, others believe in a more spiritual, ancient view, and it’s not “a new law of nature” to believers. To them, sacred geometry is embedded in your DNA and everything in the universe.

For example, consider the ancient Symbol called the Flower of Life found around the globe.

“One of the world’s most ancient symbols, the Flower of Life is said to represent the divine, mathematical order in all of life. Consisting of evenly spaced, overlapping circles (with a six fold symmetry like a hexagon), some believe the Symbol to be a divine, visual expression of life, consciousness, and creation. Leonardo Da Vinci was particularly interested in the form and mathematical proportions of the Flower of Life and its connection to physical space and human consciousness. The Symbol has been found at The Temple of Osiris in Abydos, Egypt, The Forbidden City, in Beijing, China, and many other sacred sites all over the world,” writes Amber C. Snider.

According to the Urban Dictionary, sacred geometry is “the underlying geometry in nature,” generally symmetrical shapes.

“Example: the Fibonacci sequence, the seed of life, the flower of life, the tree of life. One can see sacred geometry in naturally occurring ratios. Example: pi, our bodies, plants, seashells, spiral galaxies, sunflowers, ect.”

By another definition, sacred geometric patterns “are the perfect shapes and patterns that form the fundamental templates for life in the universe.”

According to Spirit Science, sacred geometry is the “geometry of consciousness,” the idea that all consciousness is solely based on sacred geometry.

For an introduction to Sacred Geometry, watch this video by Spirit Science:

Platonic Solids

One of the people credited with some of the earliest discussions of sacred geometry was the Greek philosopher Plato born c.428BC. However, the concept is much older.

“Plato said god geometrizes continually,” Plutarch wrote in the Convivialium disputationum. Similarly, Galileo once said, “Mathematics is the alphabet with which God has written the universe.”

Recently, Plato’s “Platonic Solid” concept got a boost when international researchers used math, geology, and physics to show that the “average shape of rocks on Earth is a cube,” exactly as Plato had suggested. To arrive at the idea, Plato used perfect symmetry as a guide. 

Possibly, Plato’s concept for Earth may also hold true for geological processes across the solar system. 

So, do symmetrical shapes in nature arise spontaneously through a built-in algorithmic bias toward austerity? Or is symmetry part of a universal template, connecting everything large and small? The scientific method will continue to see no engineers in the system, but it’s all part of a structured, divine plan for others.

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