Our Name
 
The Gaia Institute derives our name and research focus from a well-known scientific idea known as the "Gaia hypothesis," published by James Lovelock in 1965, and joined by collaborator Lynn Margulis shortly thereafter.
 
The Gaia hypothesis asserts that Earth’s temperature and atmospheric composition are actively controlled by the activities of organisms. This planetary hypothesis states that the biogeochemical work of organisms acts to regulate the Earth’s conditions including the composition of the Earth's atmosphere, temperature and oxidation state. Perturbations caused by asteroids, comets, volcanoes, or other disturbances, are modified by the activities of life, working to re-establish the far from equilibrium conditions which sustain ecosystem growth and development. In simple terms, the responses of life’s processes to disturbances tend to regulate the state of the Earth's conditions to favor life.
 
 
 
 
About The Gaia Institute
The Gaia Institute - 440 City Island Avenue - Bronx, NY 10464