Scientist James Lovelock Brief Biography

English Chemist, Author, Researcher, Famous for Gaia Theory

Oct 1, 2009 Tel Asiado

Brief biography of English scientist James Lovelock who introduced the Gaia hypothesis that the Earth is a single living organism evolving to sustain itself.

James Lovelock is a 20th century scientist famous for his Gaia Theory suggesting that the Earth is a single living organism. His idea is contained in his book Gaia: a New Look at Life on Earth. He also wrote The Ages of Gaia, The Revenge of Gaia, and The Vanishing Face of Gaia.

From the ancient times when the Greek philosophers held the view that gods inhabited the physical Earth, to recent times when science has divided it into the living and inanimate categories, these great thinkers have developed various theories on the survival of these organisms. Lovelock introduced his own Gaia theory.

Brief Biography of James Lovelock

James Ephraim Lovelock was born on July 26, 1919, in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, England. In 1941, he graduated from Manchester University with B. Science in Chemistry, taking a post at the National Institute of Medical Research in London. He later worked at the Salisbury's Common Cold Research Unit Harvard Hospital, and received his Ph.D. from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

In the early 1960s, he taught in the US, becoming professor of chemistry at Baylor University College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He later resigned, in 1964, to work as an independent scientist.

Electron Capture Detector Invention and Life Sustainability Theory

It was in the 1950s while working as a chemist at Pasadena, California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory that he invented a detector which captures small amounts of chemicals in gases. He then used this electron capture detector to find presence of pesticides, and made the shocking conclusion that these nasty chemicals had spread widely, for instance, in penguins and mother's milk. This fueled a significant environmental campaign.

Lovelock continued more experiments and later worked with American microbiologist Lynn Margulis. He concluded that the Earth is not an inert vehicle that transports living faunas and floras through space, but rather, an integrated living bio-system. Lovelock's theory was conceived.

Lovelock's Gaia Theory

It was his friend and neighbour, the novelist William Golding, famous for his Lord of the Flies, who recommended the name Gaia, after the Greek goddess of Earth who drew the living world from disorder.

Lovelock claims that the entire range of living matter on Earth could be regarded as a single living entity capable of sustaining the Earth's stability. He maintains that natural selection favors organisms leaving their environment for better living conditions. He also believes that the only solution to humankind's energy needs is through nuclear power.

Achievements and Honours

Among his distinctions and honours, James Lovelock played a critical role in inventing the electron capture detector in 1957. Two years later, he was awarded the D.Science in biophysics from the University of London.

Lovelock was elected a fellow of the prestigious Royal Society in 1974, and became president of the Marine biological Association in Plymouth for four years, from 1986.

Insight to Lovelock and his Work

Some critics come from the ranks of the Darwinian evolution advocates, who argue that organisms adapt to environments they can't influence and therefore compete for their independent survival. Scrutiny of his work include the nuclear power detractors and green advocates in relation to Earth's sustainability.

As in any theories, it has its opponents and advocates, and Lovelock's Gaia Theory is not exempted. Whatever the future may bring, it has generated a large interest. Lovelock is one of England's most respected independent scientists.

Books by James Lovelock

• Gaia: a New Look at Life on Earth, 1979
• The Ages of Gaia: a Biography of our Living Planet, 1988
• Gaia: the Practical Science of Planetary Medicine, 1991
• The Revenge of Gaia: Why the Earth is Fighting Back and How We Can Still Save Humanity, 2006
• The Vanishing Face of Gaia: a Final Warning, 2009

Sources:

• McGovern, Una, Ed. Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers Publishers, 2002.
• Moore, Pete. E=MC2. London: Quintet Publishing Ltd., 2002.

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James Lovelock, English Scientist, Gaia Theory

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