““Full-scale river systems mature the same way, carving out large, varying paths over thousands of years. Geologically young rivers flow straight and fast, whereas older rivers adapt to have more turns and twists. The changing shape of the river represents the patterned “knowledge” embedded in it from thousands of years of resolving gradient flows, with the prior shape providing the guide for how to “capture” more of the flowing water’s potential energy and dissipate more energy into the surrounding system.””
