Declining Volatility, a General Property of Disparate Systems: From
  Fossils, to Stocks, to the Stars
  There may be structural principles pertaining to the general behavior of
systems that lead to similarities in a variety of different contexts. Classic
examples include the descriptive power of fractals, the importance of surface
area to volume constraints, the universality of entropy in systems, and
mathematical rules of growth and form. Documenting such overarching principles
may represent a rejoinder to the Neodarwinian synthesis that emphasizes
adaptation and competition. Instead, these principles could indicate the
importance of constraint and structure on form and evolution. Here we document
a potential example of a phenomenon suggesting congruent behavior of very
different systems. We focus on the notion that universally there has been a
tendency for more volatile entities to disappear from systems such that the net
volatility in these systems tends to decline. We specifically focus on
origination and extinction rates in the marine animal fossil record, the
performance of stocks in the stock market, and the characters of stars and
stellar systems. We consider the evidence that each is experiencing declining
volatility, and also consider the broader significance of this.
