The Molecular Biology of Gaia is not light reading but this shouldn’t dissuade you from delving into George Ronald Williams’s compelling theory.
Mr. Williams offers evidence that links the regulation of climate on Earth to self-regulating mechanisms in the cells of living creatures.
Why We Love The Molecular Biology of Gaia
Williams demonstrates clearly that in all living cells there are pathways for feedback that engineer biochemical changes during environmental change and that these pathways act as “resistance” to such change.
His argument is that these pathways are clear evidence that the Earth can overcome climate change naturally. It’s an interesting idea that he explains in detail.
There is an issue, however, with this thesis – while he shows how a feedback loop might “calm things down”, he never explores how a runaway feedback loop might “speed things up”.
Last Words
The Molecular Biology of Gaia is a fascinating piece which offers hope to many in the face of climate change, however, it’s important to consider other “use cases” for feedback loops to remain realistic.
We’d recommend this book to anyone interested in how natural mechanisms can combine to create positive effects.
You can grab a copy online here.
If you’re interested in other works on the interplay between Gaia and science, you should check out Gaia In Action, Gaia in Turmoil and Symbiotic Planet too.