We use the ultraviolet and optical WFPC2 and near-infrared NICMOS images of
the Hubble Deep Field-North to measure and statistically compare an array
of parameters for over 250 of the galaxies it contains. These parameters in
clude redshift, rest-frame visible asymmetry and concentration, bolometric
luminosity, and extinction-corrected star formation rate. We find only one
strong correlation, between bolometric luminosity and star formation rate,
from which early-type galaxies noticeably deviate. When our asymmetry measu
rements are combined with those of a sample of nearby galaxies covering the
full Hubble sequence, we find a weak correlation between redshift and rest
-frame visible asymmetry, consistent with the qualitative evidence of galax
y morphological evolution from these and other deep Hubble Space Telescope
images. The mean values of these asymmetry measurements show a monotonic in
crease with redshift interval over the range 0 less than or similar to z le
ss than or similar to 2, increasing by a factor of approximately 3. If this
trend is real, it suggests that galaxy morphological evolution within the
last similar to 70% of the Hubble time is a gradual process that is continu
ing through the present cosmological epoch. There is evidence that the domi
nant source of this evolution is the "minor" mergers of disk galaxies with
smaller companions, which could also transform late-type spiral galaxies to
early-type spiral galaxies. Interestingly, in contrast to local galaxies w
e find no correlations between galaxy star formation rate and either UV or
visible asymmetry. This could arise if the star formation of high-redshift
galaxies proceeds in episodes that are short (similar to 100 Myr) relative
to the timescales over which galaxy mergers produce strong asymmetries (sim
ilar to 500 Myr), a result suggested by the high star formation rates of Ly
man break galaxies.