James Lovelock was best known for the Gaia hypothesis, which captured the imaginations of the scientifically minded and mystically inclined alike with its proposal that life on Earth behaves like a mega-organism
, a British Sunday paper, that “the biosphere and I are both in the last 1% of our lives”. He was wrong about himself, by a factor of about two: he died on July 26th, his 103rd birthday.
The idea of life creating its own self-regulating planet seduced the public and divided scientists. Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist and the author of “The Selfish Gene”, took umbrage at the theory’s apparent reliance on group selection, whereby things that benefit a group of organisms happen simply for that reason—because the group profits from them. John Maynard Smith, another great evolutionary biologist of the 20th century, dubbed the idea “an evil religion”.
But new findings and models also called attention to the fact that feedback loops can be destructive to life, and that Earth’s physical and biological condition is by no means perpetually stable . To his chagrin, his brainchild was never adopted as mainstream by his peers, though it inspired many. The grand notion of Earth as a living mega-organism, female or otherwise, remains an influential metaphor, rather than a science.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Creator of Gaia hypothesis James Lovelock dies on day of 103rd birthdayJames Lovelock created and developed many scientific instruments during his life. Many of these were used by NASA in its planetary exploration program
Read more »
James Lovelock, Scientist Behind Gaia Theory, Dies at 103The Gaia theory became influential as concern about humanity’s impact on the planet grew
Read more »
James Lovelock: Influential green thinker dies aged 103The scientist had a Eureka moment sparking his idea everything on Earth was interconnected.
Read more »
Canyon Bicycles scores new investment from LeBron James & Maverick CarterThe NBA legend’s strategic investment in Canyon underscores his demonstrated personal and financial interest in bikes.
Read more »