Gaia hypothesis

American  

[gey-uh hahy-poth-uh-sis, hi-poth‐] / ˈgeɪ ə haɪˌpɒθ ə sɪs, hɪˌpɒθ‐ /

noun

1. a theory advancing the notion that life on earth is perpetuated by the interaction of organisms with their inorganic environment, a process maintained by the earth’s self-regulation of its own material conditions and requirements.

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Gaia hypothesis British  

/ ˈɡaɪə /

noun

1. the theory that the earth and everything on it constitutes a single self-regulating living entity

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Etymology

Origin of Gaia hypothesis

Coined in 1975 by British environmentalist and futurist James E. Lovelock (1919–2022); see origin at Gaia ( def. 2 )

Example Sentences

If Earth is one giant organism that we live on, as some scientists speculate in the "Gaia hypothesis," it’s clear that we are extracting resources from that organism like a leech sucking blood.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2023

The Gaia hypothesis, first proposed in the 1970s, saw the Earth itself as a complex, self-regulating system that created and maintained the conditions for life on the planet.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 27, 2022

Much of her thinking chimes not only with the Gaia hypothesis but with ideas that feed into Afrofuturism, recently popularized in the movie “Black Panther.”

From Washington Post • Jul. 7, 2021

The Gaia hypothesis, developed by British scientist and environmentalist James Lovelock in the 1960s, is the theory that organisms evolve in ways that contribute to ensuring that their environment remains habitable.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

They began to study new models of interconnectivity and group mind, such as James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis and Rupert Sheldrakes theory of morphogenesis, to explain and confirm their growing sense of non-local community.

From Open Source Democracy by Rushkoff, Douglas