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Gaia hypothesis |
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Gaia hypothesisTheory that the Earth's living and nonliving systems form an inseparable whole that is regulated and kept adapted for life by living organisms themselves. The planet therefore functions as a single organism, or a giant cell. The hypothesis was elaborated by British scientist James Lovelock and first published in 1968.
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| Their calculations indicate the earliest life helped make the planet more hospitable for later forms -- a suggestion reminiscent of the controversial Gaia hypothesis, which holds that life regulates conditions on Earth. The Gaia hypothesis is the claim, supposedly supported by biology and the earth sciences, that there's a fitness for one and all and that the owner of that fitness is Gaia, who is the sum of all biota in interaction with the earth. Lovelock, working with biologist Lynn Margulis of Boston University, the Gaia hypothesis states that life has regulated and stabilized the environment, keeping it within the narrow bounds that allow life to continue. |
Gaia hypothesis
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