Time’s second arrow

Scientists Robert Hazen and Michael Wong argue for a new law complementing entropy: certain evolving physical systems exhibit a robust tendency toward greater order, complexity, and patterned diversity over time. They offered evidence in a 2023 PNAS paper and expand the argument in a new book, suggesting this tendency is physically meaningful rather than only a local, living‑systems accident. — If accepted, this reframes public narratives about progress, pessimism, and the origins of complexity, shaping how policymakers and the public interpret technological and biological change.