“Being able to learn about a thing’s past environment from looking at its present shape” is so general that you must have meant something more than that, but what?
That’s basically what I meant, actually, with the inclusion of “looking at a thing’s present environment tells you about its likely future shapes.” I chose “complement” because it seemed like a better word than “mirror,” but I’m not sure it was the best choice, and think “record” might have been better.
That’s basically what I meant, actually, with the inclusion of “looking at a thing’s present environment tells you about its likely future shapes.” I chose “complement” because it seemed like a better word than “mirror,” but I’m not sure it was the best choice, and think “record” might have been better.