  This document is the Special Issue of the First International Conference on
the Evolution and Development of the Universe (EDU 2008). Please refer to the
preface and introduction for more details on the contributions.
  Keywords: acceleration, artificial cosmogenesis, artificial life, Big Bang,
Big History, biological evolution, biological universe, biology, causality,
classical vacuum energy, complex systems, complexity, computational universe,
conscious evolution, cosmological artificial selection, cosmological natural
selection, cosmology, critique, cultural evolution, dark energy, dark matter,
development of the universe, development, emergence, evolution of the universe
evolution, exobiology, extinction, fine-tuning, fractal space-time, fractal,
information, initial conditions, intentional evolution, linear expansion of the
universe, log-periodic laws, macroevolution, materialism, meduso-anthropic
principle, multiple worlds, natural sciences, Nature, ontology, order, origin
of the universe, particle hierarchy, philosophy, physical constants, quantum
darwinism, reduction, role of intelligent life, scale relativity, scientific
evolution, self-organization, speciation, specification hierarchy,
thermodynamics, time, universe, vagueness.
