Scientists debate gaia is a multidisciplinary reexamination of the gaia hypothesis, which was introduced by james lovelock and lynn margulis in the early 1970s. T he truth is, despite its widespread moniker, gaia is not really a hypothesis. Historic and contemporary evidence and arguments for this hypothesis will be presented. The gaia hypothesis has both scientific and philosophical components. Gaia has been a fruitful hypothesis generator, and has prompted many intriguing conjectures. The gaia hypothesis is the idea that the earths biosphere acts to maintain a homeostasis of the planets physical conditions for example, atmospheric composition and temperature. The gaia theory offers insights into climate change, energy, health, agriculture, and other issues of great, if not urgent, importance. Pdf james lovelock, gaia theory, and the rejection of. Rivers dissolve salt from rocks and carry it to the ocean, yet ocean salinity has remained at about 3. The gaia hypothesis, also known as gaia theory or gaia principle, proposes that all organisms and their inorganic surroundings on earth are closely integrated to. Tolkien created the ents, the treeshepherds, out of his sense that trees are so large yet so defenseless against the man or the orc with an axe and a torch. The gaia theory posits that the earth is a selfregulating complex system involving the. Gaia hypothesis the gaia hypothesis is an ecological hypothesis proposing that the biosphere and the physical components of the earth atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere are closely integrated to form a complex interacting system that maintains the climatic and biogeochemical conditions on earth in a preferred homeostasis. The author wraps up the history of gaia, pointing out that the idea of gaa existed long before james lovelock.
The gaia hypothesis and earth system science the following is an excerpt from scientists on gaia by stephen schneider and penelope boston mit press. In the 1970s, the chemist james lovelock proposed the gaia hypothesis, named after the greek earth goddess, gaia. This planet is alive weathering and biology, a multifacetted. Inspired by early work on biospheregeosphere interactions and by novel perspectives such as the gaia hypothesis, ess emerged in the 1980s following demands for a new science of the earth. Organisms can greatly affect their environments, and the feedback coupling between organisms and their environments can shape the evolution of both. Gaia appears to be a selfregulating system, continually adjusting its chemical, physical, and biological processes in order to support life in its continuing evolution. Fact, theory, and wishful thinking 393 clarify and focus the gaia debate, which seemed to be at risk of becoming a shouting match between disciples and detractors. Gaia is theorized to be a living entity that is greater than the sum of all the living and nonliving aspects of the earth. This paper offers an alternative explanation that, early after life began it acquired control of the planetary environment and that this homeostasis by and for the biosphere has persisted ever since. The notion that the biosphere exerts important controls on the atmosphere and other parts of the earth system has increasingly gained acceptance among earth and ecosystem scientists. The two main authors who have attempted structured and systematic assessments of the gaia hypothesis are kirchner 1989kirchner, 1991kirchner. While this concept has its origins in the work of american oceanographer alfred c.
The scientists might have hated gaia, but the general public loved it. Feb 12, 2010 in ancient greek mythology, gaia is the earthmother goddess, the deity that gives life to all others. James lovelock the gaia hypothesis is an ecological hypothesis proposing that the biosphere and the physical. Dec, 20 even though gaia hypothesis has now been supported by a number of scientific experiments and provided several useful predictions, it has virtually been ignored by the scientific community until 1975. Pdf the gaia hypothesis central theme is that biological processes homeostatically maintain, on a planetary scale, geochemical and climatic. Oct 25, 2015 this system as a whole called gaia seeks a physical and chemical environment optimal for contemporary life. Today my mind was blown by james camerons sf film avatar in fullcolour 3d. For more than a century students of the evolution of the living and nonliving parts of the earth have known that life influences the physical and chemical characteristic of the planet. A number of distinct hypotheses have been proposed, spanning a range from the self. A new look at life on earth it revolutionized the perspective of earth as a living being and. David suzuki talks with james lovelock about the origins of his gaia hypothesis, which suggests that the earth is one organism. Though lovelock first presented the gaia hypothesis at a 1969 scientific conference at princeton, he did not publish his idea until 1972 in a letter to atmospheric environment.
Oxygen is a reactive compound, and should eventually combine with gases and minerals of the. Believers in gaia, or gaians as they often refer to themselves, claim that the earth is a sentient superbeing, an ancient goddess spirit, deserving of worship and reverence. May 15, 2012 the gaia hypothesis first articulated by james lovelock and lynn margulis in the 1970s holds that earths physical and biological processes are inextricably connected to form a self. The gaia hypothesis holds that earths physical and biological processes are linked to form a complex, selfregulating system and that life has affected this system over time. New finding may hold key to gaia hypothesis of earth as. Gaia hypothesis 1 gaia hypothesis the study of planetary habitability is partly based upon extrapolation from knowledge of the earths conditions, as the earth is the only planet currently known to harbour life. Gaia hypothesis simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The two main authors who have attempted structured and systematic assessments of the gaia hypothesis are kirchner 1989kirchner, 1991kirchner, 2002 kirchner, 2003, and kleidon 2002.
Back to text lovelock describes the provenance of the gaia hypothesis in gaia. Its an ecologic hypothesis that examines relationships between biotic and abiotic factors and the various spheres of earth. The gaia hypothesis, also known as gaia theory or gaia principle, proposes that all organisms and their inorganic surroundings. The gaia hypothesis a, also known as the gaia theory or the gaia principle, proposes. Particularly because i have been a vocal critic of the gaia hypothesis, it is important to make clear that i substantially agree with many of its central themes. Coevolutionary gaia asserts that the biota influence their abiotic environment, and that the environment in turn influences the evolution of the biota by darwinian. Gaia hypothesis has since been supported by a number of scientific experiments20 and provided a number of useful predictions,21 and hence is properly referred to as the gaia theory.
The gaia hypothesis formulated by james lovelock in the late 1960s presents the notion that our planet is a single selfmanaging organism which regulates the conditions necessary for life. Overall, the gaia theory is a compelling new way of understanding life on our planet. It postulates that all living things have a regulatory effect on the. The third is to outline new directions for gaia theory, in the hope that it can contribute to the further development of earth system science. Only after the publication of an article in the new scientist in february of 1975 and the popular book the quest for gaia, did the hypothesis. Inspired by early work on biospheregeosphere interactions and by novel perspectives such as the gaia hypothesis, ess emerged in the 1980s following demands for a. In proposing this theory, james lovelock sought to explain the many complex natural mechanisms that the earth has for regulating things such as climate. The gaia hypothesis is for those who like to walk or simply stand and stare, to wonder about the earth and the life it bears, and to speculate about the consequences of our own presence here. Gaia also helps to explain how the oceans are kept in balance. The hypothesis was developed in the 1970s by james. Redfield in the mid1950s, it was english scientist and inventor james. More blog entries about movies, avatar, tolkien, gaiahypothesis. It argues that we are far more than just the third rock from the sun, situated precariously between freezing and. I pointed out that the singular term, the gaia hypothesis, was being applied to many different propositions, ranging from.
Gottgensconservation biologyhans papers 2010tilman and downing 1994 nature. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. To me, he makes lovelock seem small and lynn margulis even smaller. Gaia hypothesis simple english wikipedia, the free. England and lynn margulis, department of biology, boston university, 2, oummington street. Beyond these generally accepted facts, the gaia hypothesis advances three central propositions. The scientifically accepted form of the hypothesis. Gaia hypothesis, model of the earth in which its living and nonliving parts are viewed as a complex interacting system that can be thought of as a single organism. Stated simply, the idea is that we may have discovered a living being bigger, more ancient, and more complex than anything from our wildest dreams. The uncertainties surrounding global climate change provide ample evidence, if any were necessary, of the need for a wholesystem view of the earth. Its time to take the gaia hypothesis seriously facts so. Ruse quotes from other scientists such as brockman 1995 who agrees the earth is an ecosystem not an organism.
Beyond the technological achievements, these decades have produced a substantial body of evidence in support of a revolutionary hypothesis, first posed by alfred wegener in the early 1900s, that the continents move around the planet, like ice cubes in. Jun 10, 2007 the gaia hypothesis was first scientifically formulated in the 1960s by the independent research scientist dr. James lovelock explains gaia hypothesis on the sacred. At that instant the living things, the rocks, the air, and the oceans merged to form the new entity, gaia. The gaia hypothesis synonyms, the gaia hypothesis pronunciation, the gaia hypothesis translation, english dictionary definition of the gaia hypothesis. There was a gaia atlas, gaia gardening, gaia herbs, gaia retreats, gaia networking, and much more. The gaia hypothesis definition of the gaia hypothesis by. Science on a pagan planet attempts to understand why gaia was so warmly embraced by its lay audience and. Science on a pagan planet attempts to understand why gaia was so warmly embraced by its lay audience and so brutally disparaged at least at first by.
The gaia hypothesis, named after the ancient greek goddess of earth, posits that. Because of the teleological nature of the theory and the tendency of some of its proponents to dress their beliefs up in scientific jargon, it is typically. They embraced lovelock and his hypothesis with enthusiasm. James lovelock, gaia theory, and the rejection of factvalue dualism article pdf available december 2011 with 1,321 reads how we measure reads. Gaia hypothesis viewing earth as a single organism. The gaia hypothesis states that the temperature and composition of the earths atmosphere are actively regulated by the sum of life on the planet sagan and margulis, 1983. During the 1960s, british scientist james lovelock first formulated the gaia hypothesis, the. In fact, wider research proved the original hypothesis wrong, in the sense that it is not life alone but the whole earth system that does the regulating. In ancient greek mythology, gaia is the earthmother goddess, the deity that gives life to all others.
Churches had gaia services, sometimes with new music written especially for the occasion. Gaia hypothesis as combining elem ents of what i have termed homeostatic gaia i. After its publication in james lovelocks book gaia. The gaia hypothesis, also known as gaia theory or gaia principle, named after earth goddess gaia, indicates that living organisms interact with their nonliving inorganic surroundings on earth to selfregulate the earth environment, a complex system that contributes to maintaining the conditions for life on the planet. Redfield in the mid1950s, it was english scientist and inventor james lovelock that gave. British scientist james lovelock, the person most responsible for the gaia hypothesis, was working for nasa when he first reached his living system insight. Life and chemistry combine into material transfer activities, which create the. James lovelocks gaia hypothesis archive ouverte hal. The gaia hypothesis central theme is that biological processes homeostatically maintain, on a planetary scale, geochemical and climatic conditions favorable for life.
Salt dome rocky desert standing diversity rock varnish gaia hypothesis. Bioinformatics is the acquisition of knowledge by means of computational. The last half of this century witnessed incredible leaps in our understanding of planet earth. The gaia hypothesis was first scientifically formulated in the 1960s by the independent research scientist dr. James lovelock, as a consequence of his work for nasa on methods of detecting life on mars. From the documentary series the sacred balance, produced by. England and lynn margulis, department of biology, boston university, 2, cummington street, boston, mass. Gaia hypothesis this will serve as an introduction to the gaia hypothesis. Arguably the most visible and controversial attempt to understand earth as a system has been lovelocks gaia theory. Believers in gaia, or gaians as they often refer to themselves, claim that the earth is a sentient superbeing, an ancient goddess spirit, deserving of.
Does the gaia hypothesis imply that the biosphere is a single living organism. Exploring our lovehate relationship with gaia new scientist. In response, lovelock contended that, in no way is this gaia theory. The gaia hypothesis proposed that life on earth is a selfregulating system involving the biosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the pedosphere skin of soil and living organisms, all of which are intimately integrated as an evolving complex system. James lovelock gaia theory college of science and mathematics.
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