Gaia Hypothesis explores Earth as a self-regulating system

The Gaia Hypothesis, proposed by British chemist James Lovelock and American biologist Lynn Margulis in the 1970s, suggests that Earth functions as a self-regulating system. The theory posits that living organisms and their physical environment are linked through a network of mutual influences, creating a planetary-scale mechanism similar to biological homeostasis.

While the idea has been controversial within evolutionary biology for not aligning with classical natural selection, it remains a significant concept in climate science. The hypothesis suggests that life helps maintain habitable conditions on the planet through complex interactions, though it warns that human actions can disrupt this global equilibrium and that the planet's continued habitability does not guarantee the survival of the human species.