Within each of us, as within each living or extinct creature, is a bro
ad piece from the story of life and creation. Both the evolution of th
e universe-and the emergence df life on Earth can be considered as bei
ng the result of critical events, such as phase transitions, that occu
r with a certain probability and are characterized by a sudden breakag
e of prior symmetry. These in turn result in self-perpetuating conditi
ons that are responsible for what we know and perceive today.