Science Clarified - Gaia Hypothesis
Field of reference: Biology, Physics, Interdisciplinary
Description: Earth's geophysiology depend on its systems working in harmony..
"The main idea behind the Gaia hypothesis can be both simple and complex. Often, several similar examples or analogies concerning the bodies of living organisms are used to make the Gaia concept easier to understand. One of these states that we could visualize Earth's rain forests as the lungs of the planet since they exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. Earth's atmosphere could be thought of as its respiratory system, and its streams of moving water and larger rivers like its circulatory system, since they bring in clean water and flush out the system. Some say that the planet actually "breathes" because it contracts and expands with the Moon's gravitational pull, and the seasonal changes we all experience are said to reflect our own rhythmic bodily cycles.Many of these analogies are useful in trying to explain the general idea behind the Gaia hypothesis, although they should not be taken literally. Lovelock, however, has stated that Earth is very much like the human body in that both can be viewed as a system of interacting components. He argues that just as our bodies are made up of billions of cells working together as a single living being, so too are the billions of different lifeforms on Earth working together (although unconsciously) to form a single, living "superorganism." Further, just as the processes or physiology of our bodies has its major systems (such as the nervous system, circulatory system, respiratory system, etc.), so, says Lovelock, Earth has its own "geophysiology." This geophysiology is made up of four main components: atmosphere (air), biosphere (all lifeforms), geosphere (soil and rock), and hydrosphere (water). Finally, just as our own physiological health depends on all of our systems being in good working condition and, above all, working together well, so, too, does Earth's geophysiology depend on its systems working in harmony."
| שייך לנושאים: 1-13 - חינוך אינטגרלי, -מקורות מדעיים, הטבע, 2. הטבע כמערכת |
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Science Clarified - Gaia Hypothesis
Field of reference: Interdisciplinary, Ecology, Biology
Description: The simplest of bacteria formed symbiotic relationships—relationships that benefitted both organisms.
"Cooperation over competition
Lovelock was supported in his hypothesis by American microbiologist Lynn Margulis (1918– ) who became his principal collaborator. Margulis not only provided support, but she brought her own scientific ability and achievements to the Gaia hypothesis. In her 1981 book, Symbiosis in Cell Evolution , Margulis had put forth the then-unheard of theory that life as we know it today evolved more from cooperation than from competition. She argued that the cellular ancestors of today's plants and animals were groups of primitive, formless bacteria cells called prokaryotes (pronounced pro-KAR-ee-oats). She stated that these simplest of bacteria formed symbiotic relationships—relationships that benefitted both organisms—which eventually led to the evolution of new lifeforms. Her theory is called endosymbiosis (pronounced en-doe-sim-bye-O-sis) and is based on the fact that bacteria routinely take and transfer bits of genetic material from each other.
Margulis then argued that simple bacteria eventually evolved into more complex eukaryotic (pronounced you-kar-ee-AH-tik) cells or cells with a nucleus. These types of cells form the basic structure of plants and animals. Her then-radical but now-accepted idea was that life evolved more out of cooperation (which is what symbiosis is all about) than it did out of competition (in which only the strong survive and reproduce). The simple prokaryotes did this by getting together and forming symbiotic groups or systems that increased their chances of survival. According to Margulis then, symbiosis, or the way different organisms adapt to living together to the benefit of each, was the major mechanism for change on Earth.
Most scientists now agree with her thesis that oxygen-using bacteria joined together with fermenting bacteria to form the basis of a type of new cell that eventually evolved into complex eukaryotes. For the Gaia hypothesis, the Margulis concept of symbiosis has proven to be a useful explanatory tool. Since it explains the origin and the evolution of life on Earth (by stating that symbiosis is the mechanism of change), it applies also to what continues to happen as the process of evolution goes on and on."
| שייך לנושאים: 1-13 - חינוך אינטגרלי, -מקורות מדעיים, הטבע, 2. הטבע כמערכת |
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Dr. Kriss A. Kevorkian
Field of reference: Interdisciplinary, Ecology, Biology
Description: Earth is one giant living organism.
"The Gaia theory introduced an awareness not seen in science previously, an exposure to a relationship more conducive to the health of our natural world. Lovelock had his share of critics, but a number of scientists opened their eyes to a new view of the world and to science as a result of his work. When science views the earth as a living organism, then we can also accept that humans are a part of the interconnectedness of life on a living earth. There is already much information regarding the interconnectedness of the living earth among many indigenous cultures, but science tends to ask too many questions and wants to probe deeply without an awareness of how much damage that probing can cause the earth.
At one time in human history, when we were hunter-gatherers, humans lived with nature, not separate from it. We did not think ourselves superior to nature but connected to it. As science advanced, we became observers of nature, rather than being a part of it, seeking out how to make nature work for us. If we can again view our earth as a living organism, then perhaps we will feel more inclined to live with it and not as though the earth was a never-ending faucet of resources for our use."
| שייך לנושאים: 1-13 - חינוך אינטגרלי, -מקורות מדעיים, הטבע, 2. הטבע כמערכת |
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Dr. Peter A. Corning
Field of reference: Interdisciplinary
Description: Extensive discussion about synergy, description of different types of synergy, and many examples of synergy in nature.
"A common factor in all of these diverse examples of co-operation is functional synergy -- combined effects produced by two or more elements, parts, or individuals which cannot otherwise be achieved. Derived from the Greek word synergos (to "work together"), the term synergy is used here with reference to the bioeconomic effects that are produced by things that "operate together" (co-operation). Although the term is frequently associated with the slogan "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" or "1+1=3", actually this is a caricature of a much more subtle and multi-faceted concept. It would be more accurate to say that the effects produced by wholes are different from what the parts can produce alone. In any case, a key to understanding synergy is that it involves effects that are jointly produced and interdependent. Take away a major part and the synergy will attenuate or dissolve."
| שייך לנושאים: 1-13 - חינוך אינטגרלי, -מקורות מדעיים, הטבע, 2. הטבע כמערכת |
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Dr. Fritjof Capra
Field of reference: Biology, Ecology
Description: Cooperation is an intrinsic character in nature, any disturbance can have an effect on the entire system
"The more one studies the living world the more one comes to realise that the tendency to associate, establish links, live inside one another and cooperate is an essential characteristic of living organisms. As Lewis Thomas has observed, "We do not have solitary beings. Every creature is, in some sense, connected to and dependent on the rest. Larger networks of organisms from ecosystems, together with various inanimate components linked to the animals, plants, and microorganisms through an intricate web of relations involving the exchange of matter and energy in continual cycles. Like individual organisms, ecosystems are self-organizing and self-regulating systems in which particular populations of organisms undergo periodic fluctuations. Because of the nonlinear nature of the pathways and interconnections within an ecosystem, any serious disturbance will not be limited to a single effect but is likely to spread thought the system and may even be amplified by its internal feedback mechanisms."
| שייך לנושאים: 1-13 - חינוך אינטגרלי, -מקורות מדעיים, הטבע, 2. הטבע כמערכת |
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