Gaia hypothesis: why some scientists believe that the Earth is a huge organism, and is it true

What is this hypothesis and who came up with it

Gaia is the ancient Greek goddess of the Earth, and it is not by chance that she is mentioned in the name. According to the hypothesisT. Radford. James Lovelock at 100: the Gaia saga continues / Nature, our planet is a huge self-regulating organism, and animals, plants and inanimate nature are its parts. The earth, like a good goddess, maintains a suitable climate and helps life to develop.

Some supporters of the hypothesis even believe that Gaia is able to "recover" from all sorts of disasters. For example, to survive a meteorite fall, a very powerful volcanic eruption and active human influence.

At first glance, the theory seems a little odd. However, developedGaia hypothesis / Britannica Its distinguished scientists are the British chemist James Lovelock, a member of the Royal Society of London, and also Professor Lynn Margulis, an American biologist.

It all started back in the 1960s, when Lovelock advised

J. Lovelock. Gaia: The living Earth / Nature NASA on life on Mars. The scientist found an easy way to find out the answer: to analyze the atmosphere of the red planet. It turned out that neither Marsnor on Venus there is almost no oxygen and methane - gases produced by living organisms.

It was then that Lovelock drew attention to the unique composition of the earth's atmosphere. This prompted the researcher to think that life itself consumes and emits gases so that the planet maintains conditions for its existence.

The more oxygen-breathing living beings appear on Earth, the more the atmosphere becomesJ. Lovelock. Gaia: The living Earth / Nature carbon dioxide. But the Earth is not turning into a lifeless planet like Mars. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by plants, which, with an increase in its content in the atmosphere, only multiply better. This means they produce more oxygen. As a result, the balance is not disturbed.

Lovelock began to develop the idea and eventually came to the conclusion that the Earth is a single and well-functioning system, the very Gaia. Due to the complex interconnections between animate and inanimate nature, the planet supportsT. Radford. James Lovelock at 100: the Gaia saga continues / Nature optimal conditions for its inhabitants are already 3.8 billion years old.

And although many scientists did not support Lovelock's theory, Gaia's hypothesis became famous and quite popular. The British chemist even receivedT. Radford. James Lovelock at 100: the Gaia saga continues / Nature awards from the Geological Society of London, NASA and several other organizations.

Why Some Scientists Support Gaia's Hypothesis

The idea that the Earth is a huge organism turned out to be attractive. The hypothesis simultaneously explained everything and at the same time was quite simple and beautiful. Unsurprisingly, the theory has many fans. Including among the adepts new age. The latter began to talk about the intelligent Earth and science, which confirmed the legends of the ancients about mother nature.

Lovelock himself in every possible way denied such interpretations and even regretted choosing the name of the hypothesis. But it didn't saveM. Bond. Exploring our love / hate relationship with Gaia / New Scientist him from the dissatisfaction of scientists, who considered that a new sect was being created under the guise of science.

Nevertheless, the hypothesis found supporters in academic circles. Largely because some of the theory's assumptions have been confirmed in practice.

Salt balance is maintained in the seas

Minerals from land and rivers constantly enter the oceans. And if not for the interaction of living and inanimate nature, all the seas would have long ago turned into lifeless salt reservoirs like the Dead Sea. However, this does not happen: the concentration of salt in seawater does not change over millions of years.

Lovelock suggestedW. F Doolittle. Is the Earth an organism? / Aeonthat salt is deposited on the seabed, and the same corals have a positive effect on the salinity of the ocean. It really counts nowWhy is the ocean salty, but rivers flowing into it are not? / NOAA National Ocean Servicethat the seas are capable of self-regulation in such ways.

The Earth "adapted" to the change in the brightness of the Sun

Since the appearance of the first organisms on our planet, the brightness of the star has increased.T. Owen, R. D. Cess, V. Ramanathan. Enhanced CO2 greenhouse to compensate for reduced solar luminosity on early Earth / Nature by 25-30%. Despite the new conditions, the Earth has survivedJ. Lovelock. Gaia: The living Earth / Nature livable temperature.

According to Lovelock and his colleagues, this was due to microorganisms. With an increase in temperature, plankton began to multiply more actively, as a result, the amount of its waste products increased. Including dimethyl sulphide gas. When it fell from the water into the clouds, the latter began to better reflect sunlight, and the temperature on Earth decreased.

Later, dimethyl sulfide was found in the clouds.

Computer models of a self-regulating environment work

In the 1980s, Lovelock createdJ. Lovelock. Gaia: The living Earth / Nature model Daisyworld. It was a simplified demonstration of Gaia's self-regulation capabilities.

The "world of daisies" was inhabited by only two types of plants: black, absorbing light, and white, reflecting it. The former, accordingly, preferred coolness, while the latter preferred warmth. The model has proven to be very robust. So, if the number of black colors increased, the planet's surface reflected less light, and it became warmer on it. And this led to the reproduction of white plants.

Is it really possible to consider the Earth as a huge organism

Lovelock's theory lacks precision. So, not even all of her supporters are sureJ. W. Kirchner. The Gaia hypothesis: Can it be tested? / Reviews of Geophysics, is it possible to call the Earth a single "living" organism. For example, Lynn Margulis insists that the hypothesis only shows how the living and non-living together develop due to close interconnection.

There are also specific examples that prove that "mother nature" is far from always able to cope with her children. The same ones quite often violate the equilibrium of the system themselves.

The earth is unable to fully regulate its atmosphere and temperature. So, trees simply do not have time to absorb excess carbon dioxide: its amount in the atmosphere is growingJ. W. Kirchner. The Gaia Hypothesis: Conjectures and Refutations / Climatic Change 17 times faster.

And the organisms that inhabited the Earth often had a detrimental effect on the planet's climate. For example, about 2.4 billion years ago, when bacteria that produce oxygen during photosynthesis appeared, there was a sharp declineR. E. Kopp, J. L. Kirschvink, I. A. Hilburn et al. The Paleoproterozoic snowball Earth: A climate disaster triggered by the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis / Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America the amount of methane in the atmosphere. This led not only to the glaciation of the Earth, but also to the death of many microorganisms. Contrary to Lovelock's theory, they were unable to rebuild their population.

The earth is much more complex than the "world of daisies." A huge number of species live on our planet, and their evolution can notW. F Doolittle. Is the Earth an organism? / Aeon be unidirectional.

Why the Gaia hypothesis is useful

Still, Lovelock's idea is more than just a pretty metaphor. She stimulatedT. Radford. James Lovelock at 100: the Gaia saga continues / Nature study of our planet as a single large ecosystem, not a collection of parts. Today, no one has any doubts that living and inanimate nature are interconnected and can influence each other. This idea is at the heart of modern environmental science.

Paradoxically, Lovelock's theory of self-regulation of the Earth, on the contrary, showed how fragile the balance of nature is. Now, when the climate of our planet is changing dramatically, such a reminder is especially important. And in this sense, Gaia's hypothesis has played a positive role in science.