Gaia: A New Look at Life on EarthOxford University Press, 1987 - 157 The Gaia hypothesis, first put forth in the mid-1960s, and published in book form in 1975, has had a radical effect on scientific views of evolution and the environment. Fiercely debated by biologists, chemists, and cyberneticists, it has been the subject of numerous conferences and a BBC special which aired on public TV's "Nova" series. Green Peace and other environmental groups have embraced the theory, and Isaac Asimov incorporated it into two his science fiction novels. Now, James Lovelock provides a new preface to his his seminal work, confronting his critics, and, addressing the current advances in science and technology, demonstrates how his predictions have already begun to be fulfilled. According to the Gaia hypothesis, the environment does not coincidentally support life on earth; rather the two interact much the way a bird and its nest interact. "The Earth's living matter," writes Lovelock, "air, oceans, and land surface form a complex system which can be seen as a single organism and which has the capacity to keep our planet a fit place for life." This revolutionary book offers the clearest explanation of the interaction of life and the environment. |
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... energy or raw materials is put to work and entropy is consequently reduced , and the surrounding environment which receives the discarded waste products . It also suggests that life - like processes require a flux of energy above some ...
... energy or raw materials is put to work and entropy is consequently reduced , and the surrounding environment which receives the discarded waste products . It also suggests that life - like processes require a flux of energy above some ...
Strona 28
... energy and that it was only when oxygen appeared in the atmosphere that evolution really took off and expanded into the full and vigorous range of life as it exists today . In fact there is direct evidence for a complex and diverse ...
... energy and that it was only when oxygen appeared in the atmosphere that evolution really took off and expanded into the full and vigorous range of life as it exists today . In fact there is direct evidence for a complex and diverse ...
Strona 35
... energy , as when a grain of sand falls from a high spot to a low one . At equilib- rium , all is level and no more energy is available . In our small world of sand grains the fundamental particles were effectively all of the same , or ...
... energy , as when a grain of sand falls from a high spot to a low one . At equilib- rium , all is level and no more energy is available . In our small world of sand grains the fundamental particles were effectively all of the same , or ...
Spis treści
Introductory | 1 |
In the beginning | 13 |
The recognition of Gaia | 33 |
Prawa autorskie | |
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abundance acid activity aeons ago algae ammonia anaerobic animals atmo atmosphere atoms biological biosphere CALIFORNIA capacity carbon dioxide cell cent chapter chemical chemical equilibrium chemistry complex compounds concentration continental shelves control system creatures cybernetic systems cycle dimethyl sulphide Earth Earth's surface ecology ecosystems effect electric elements energy entropy environment environmental equilibrium ERSITY example fire fossil fuel Gaia hypothesis Gaia's Gaian gases global half aeons heat human hydrogen increase industrial inorganic iodine ions land LIBRARY lifeless Lynn Margulis Mars methane methyl chloride methyl iodide micro-organisms million molecules natural nitrate nitrogen nitrous oxide nuclear numbers oceans optimum organisms oven oxygen ozone layer photosynthesis planet planetary poisonous pollution possible potential present problem production quantities regions regulation rocks salinity salt SAN DIEGO scientific scientists silica sodium sodium chloride space species stratosphere substances sulphur temperature tion tropical ultra-violet UNIVERSITY water vapour