Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 May 2010
We begin with the premise that the law of entropy could prove to be fundamental for the evolution of intelligent life and the advent of technological civilization. Building on recent theoretical results, we combine a modern approach to evolutionary theory with Monte Carlo realization techniques. A numerical test for a proposed significance of the law of entropy within the evolution of intelligent species is performed and results are compared with a neutral test hypothesis. Some clarifying aspects on the emergence of intelligent species arise and are discussed in the framework of contemporary astrobiology.