Earth systems: Feedback on Gaia

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