First Blog Posting- The Earth, Gaia, and Life

So far, in just the first three weeks of class, my mind has been challenged by a much greater awareness of our life on Earth and the role we play in the evolution of us as a species, an individual, and of the Earth itself. Sometimes, after learning some scientific theories or so-called “facts”, I personally think that maybe I am better off being ignorant, and therefore happy or impervious. Thomas Grey once said, “Where ignorance is bliss, ‘Tis folly to be wise. ” I think this quote greatly describes people on Earth; with intent or not many of us are unaware to the real problems our twisted existence has created by damaging the very planet we live on. We need to understand that our planet is not invincible and this is our only planet. There is only one Earth.

For myself, college has opened my mind up to so many different views and beliefs. Thus, I now choose wisdom over ignorance and seek a greater understanding of all things I deem important or that will affect the masses (earth, life, society). I understand that I, as an individual, am part of something much greater than myself. I am learning about the many “systems” that I am a part of, be they biological, chemical, or societal.

One particular theory that confounded me while reading the literature for this class is James Lovelock’s and Lynn Margulis’ “Gaia Hypothesis”. In chapter two of the Cartoon Guide to the Environment, on the cycles, I was first introduced to this theory- it states “Hypothesis: They suggest that the world is an interconnected, biological being, whom the scientists called Gaia after the Greek Earth Goddess. Earth as a being or entity? Never have I thought of this. The basic ideas of Gaia revolve around the biosphere, or the living world. It is theorized that the biotic world, the life of earth itself, is the driving factor for its self-regulation. This was theorized behind the observation of Earth’s atmosphere, which is part of the abiotic or non-living world. Earth’s atmosphere, chemically, as stated by Lovelock while he completed research with NASA on Mar’s atmosphere, is extraordinary. Mars ‘and Venus’ atmospheres are very abundant in carbon dioxide, but this is expected from knowledge of chemistry. On the contrary, Earth has many gases that are reacting constantly and working together to coexist to sustain life. These gases are from us, from living organisms. During this week’s lecture, we learned the cycles of nitrogen and carbon, from their gaseous forms down to usable molecules that are the building blocks of life, and then how they are put back into this circular cycle for future life.

The Gaia hypothesis remains controversial but “true” and “fact” or not, “alive” or not Earth may be but we are still going to have to deal with the problems our planet has for us, or the problems we create for our planet. One section from Cartoon Guide to the Environment says- “The Gaia theory says that whenever an abiotic condition begins to get out of hand, life responds in some way that pulls the condition back under control, damping down the fluctuation”, but what about the biotic world? What if Earth realizes with some subconscious or conscious mechanism, be it from the Earth itself or from the life forms we coexist with, that we are disrupting the cycles we are doing damage to life on Earth. Will some super-predator evolve to eliminate us? Or maybe the very bacteria and viruses that have evolved over time to be less virulent to reproduce and spread, will further evolve to become more virulent, to eliminate us. These are just some daunting thoughts that cross my mind when really thinking about this theory.

I am currently taking Dr.Wang’s class on Evolutionary Biology and Human Health and it also has introduced me to a new evolutionary perspective on matters. I tend to find myself relating information to and from this class. When I think of how the human form, the human “system” evolved, and how we have many individuals component’s (RBC, WBC, macrophages, etc.) each with a purpose or job, I compare this to the evolution of Earth. When you think of Earth as a being, it is comparable to human evolution. The thought of the components working for the greater good of something larger than itself, aware or unaware humans and red bloods cells may be- they do contribute. I would like to leave you with some interesting youtube videos that caught my attention that relate the theory of “Gaia”, and provided some of my information on the subject. One theory I found interesting is that the Earth is growing and this can be viewed in the second URL. This would work for the Gaia hypothesis and though interesting, I am not stating the validity of this theory, but it would create great controversy is ever proven “true”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44yiTg7cOVI (on the Gaia Hypothesis)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxMYRwwA2Zg&feature=related (on the growing Earth)