Universe Fertility Index (UFI)

The Universe Fertility Index (UFI) tracks the structural readiness of a universe to produce transferable Noöseeds — and by extension, to initiate successor universes.

UFI depends on the density of late-phase seed-capable minds within the universe, not on raw population size. A universe with many minds but low Inner World Depth scores poorly; a universe with fewer but structurally deeper minds may score considerably higher.

Example: A densely populated universe with billions of minds but shallow Inner World Depth across the board can score lower UFI than a sparsely populated one where a meaningful fraction of minds reach seed-viable depth. UFI tracks readiness to produce successors, not headcount.