From the cosmic calendar to the big bang of digital transformation
What if there were a cosmic calendar that allowed us to visualise the history of the universe in a single year? It exists, and it was the idea of the great Carl Sagan. He managed to extrapolate the 13.8 billion years of the universe into an annual calendar.
Everything begins at midnight on 1 January: the Big Bang. On 1 May, the Milky Way is formed, and we have to wait until 3 September for our solar system to appear. From that moment on, and throughout the month of September, optimal conditions begin to develop on Earth. Water vapour, methane, ammonia, hydrogen and thunderstorms form. On 30 September, the first forms of what we call life really begin. Modern human beings do not appear until midnight on 31 December, and the recorded history of humanity occupies only the last 21 seconds of our cosmic calendar.
The origin of life in the digital transformation came with the introduction of mechanisation and digitisation of processes in textile factories. There have been various disruptive revolutions, such as the ability to program machines, connect them to the internet, robotise processes and move information to the cloud. We will continue to see others, such as quantum technologies and the sustainable adaptation of technologies to the needs of society.
The emergence of RNA and process automation
We are now on 30 September of the cosmic calendar that will mark the next 3,800 real years that have made it possible for us to be who we really are. Recently, at the Telefónica Foundation, we were fortunate to have with us our great scientist, researcher and disseminator from the Astrobiology Centre, Carlos Briones, who has worked on reconstructing prebiotic scenarios to understand how life could have emerged on primitive Earth. Thanks to him, we were able to understand that RNA was key to the origin of life. ‘ribocytes’ are considered the first living beings capable of storing information to self-replicate and catalyse reactions through RNA enzymes and short peptides.
RNA and DNA are the solution that biology has given us to store information and process it in order to replicate and grow. In the digital transformation, the solution began with storing information on punched cards and programming looms in the 19th century, which improved textile production. Just as the first forms of life evolved, so did the digital transformation, based on knowledge and new technological discoveries.
Natural selection and the differential value of digital transformation
Thanks to another Charles, this time Charles Darwin, and after his voyage on the Beagle across the Atlantic between 1831 and 1836, we have the gift of his wonderful book, The Origin of Species, which teaches us the fundamentals of evolutionary biology.
Returning to our cosmic calendar, at the end of September we will celebrate the birth of the most primitive forms of life. Specifically, our common ancestor of all known biodiversity is born; we celebrate the birth of LUCA (last Universal Common Ancestor). On our real scale of years, we place it at around 3,600 Ma. And it is the three months following this date on our cosmic calendar that will see constant biological activity. Thanks to growth, reproduction and evolution, six kingdoms are created—Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, Archaea and Bacteria—with between 8 and 10 million species existing today, of which only around 2.5 million have been described.
We have experienced major biological, geological and climatic events that have marked the creation of new species. If our beloved Charles Darwin were to take a journey describing and linking the great technological leaps that have digitally transformed our social and business fabric, he would also find an answer to why some companies adapt and evolve, while others disappear. As Carlos Briones tells us in his latest book, Aboard Your Curiosity, ‘there were probably several origins of life in different environments on our planet, although only the one that triumphed has been recorded.’
Evolution, adaptation and digital transformation
31 December. Party and New Year’s Eve. The human species appears as such on the cosmic calendar.
Until now, neither living beings nor the Earth and other celestial bodies in the universe have stood still. Continental drift and brutal tectonic plate movements have occurred. Meteorites fall to Earth and significant global climate changes occur. Mass extinctions take place. Living organisms undergo genetic mutations, reproductive isolation, accumulate changes and modifications, and undergo rapid and sudden innovations. They collaborate with each other to adapt to selective pressures and, above all, as Charles Darwin said, natural selection ends up being the most important mechanism of modification.
Is natural selection the most important factor in determining the success of digital transformation? Do we take advantage of major technological revolutions to transform our processes? Do we include digital transformation in the DNA of our corporate culture? Are we capable of achieving internal collaboration and collaboration with third parties to carry out digital transformation projects that help us to be better?
Conclusion
It may seem very obvious, but both in the cosmic calendar and in our digital transformation process, we have to follow the calendar without taking shortcuts. Day by day.
As the Madrid philosopher George Santayana would say, ‘those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’, because knowing how we got where we are will help us both personally and collectively. Remembering helps us grow and evolve to become better.
Our transformation calendar must help us understand that technology is not just another tool, but can become the centre of business strategy, operations, product design and marketing, and financial control, to name a few examples. And thanks to technology, the way people interact and improve their well-being is transformed.
To quote Darwin, ‘those best suited to their environment are more likely to survive and pass on their characteristics to the next generation’. The advantage lies with those who are prepared for new circumstances and are able to collaborate for the common good, making the best use of available resources without exhausting them. The goal is to be better than we are now.
Telefónica is an example of adaptation. This year it celebrates its 101st anniversary, well above the average lifespan of other companies.
If we compare Carl Sagan’s cosmic calendar with a hypothetical digital transformation calendar, it makes us think that we have only lived through the beginning. Will we continue to evolve? Of course we will. The next changes will be much more impactful and full of possibilities: quantum computing and networks, artificial intelligence, new forms of connectivity and digital realities, robotics, and improvements in the use of natural and energy resources. Success will lie in collaboration and proper management in an adaptive and comprehensive manner. We conclude by quoting Darwin: ‘It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.’
