Earth systems: Feedback on Gaia
![](https://eltahir.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Screen-shot-2012-02-06-at-11.48.33-AM.png)
Publication Date: August 17, 2000
Source: Nature
News and Views
Jim Gillon
Until a few years ago, self-respecting scientists best avoided making any reference to the Gaia hypothesis — as one delegate fondly recalled at a meeting held in June*, he was once warned that publishing an article with the word ‘Gaia’ in the title could severely damage, if not ruin, a scientific career. Not surprisingly, dissenters still remain, given some of the quasi-religious interpretations of Gaia, such as the notion of the Earth as a living organism.
Nature 406, 685-686 (17 August 2000) | doi:10.1038/35021165