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Rating: 
Summary: Away With The Fairies
Review: A prime example of non-science. The author should read Popper and learn what it is to propose an hypothesis that can be tested, and thus add to the body of scientific knowledge rather than simply making up stories about his own pseudoscientific beliefs. For the New Age Fairies.
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Summary: Science for Humanity!
Review: If you believe Science is unnecessarily baffling,...if you believe our Earth is suffering because of an unexamined drive for "progress",...if you enjoy masterful writing,...READ "GAIA'S BODY: Toward a Physiology of Earth..!" Dr. Tyler Volk has worked as a principle researcher for NASA on how a global system supports life. He is not only at the top of his field, Atmospheric Chemistry, but he writes with humility, warmth and immediacy. Even if you don't understand ALL of the "hard Science", you will be delighted at what Tyler Volk DOES render easily understood. If you, like Karl Popper(rest his soul), would like hierarchies to remain as they are, and prefer a harsh, thwarting sort of Science, proceed at your own discomfort. If you love learning, and believe it should be a pleasure, proceed happily!
Rating:
Summary: Science for Humanity!
Review: If you believe Science is unnecessarily baffling,...if you believe our Earth is suffering because of an unexamined drive for "progress",...if you enjoy masterful writing,...READ "GAIA'S BODY: Toward a Physiology of Earth..!" Dr. Tyler Volk has worked as a principle researcher for NASA on how a global system supports life. He is not only at the top of his field, Atmospheric Chemistry, but he writes with humility, warmth and immediacy. Even if you don't understand ALL of the "hard Science", you will be delighted at what Tyler Volk DOES render easily understood. If you, like Karl Popper, would like hierarchies to remain as they are, and prefer a harsh, thwarting sort of Science, proceed at your own discomfort. If you love learning, and believe it should be a pleasure, proceed happily!
Rating:
Summary: Science for Humanity!
Review: If you believe Science is unnecessarily baffling,...if you believe our Earth is suffering because of an unexamined drive for "progress",...READ "GAIA'S BODY: Toward a Physiology of Earth..!" Dr. Tyler Volk has worked as a principle researcher for NASA on how a global system supports life. He is not only at the top of his field, Atmospheric Chemistry, but he writes with humility, warmth and immediacy. Even if you don't understand ALL of the "hard Science", you will be delighted at what Tyler Volk renders easily understood. If you, like Karl Popper(rest his soul), would like hierarchies to remain as they are, and prefer a harsh, thwarting sort of Science, proceed at your own discomfort. If you love learning, and believe it should be a pleasure, proceed happily.
Rating:
Summary: The Unity of Life
Review: This book is required reading for all those interested in how the parts of global biosphere ("Gaia") interact. It is pleasure to read, thanks to the knowledge and writing talent of the author. Volk introduces the concept of a metabolizing Gaia, with its parts consisting of kingdoms, cycles, pools, etc., depending on the perspective of the observer. He suggests the fundamental "actors" in this metabolism are biochemical "guilds", such as nitrogen fixers, and respirers, which cut across divisions such as kingdoms. In Volk's interpretation, Gaia is not a living organism, nor does it or its parts necessarily remain at homeostasis, but it has a metabolism, a geophysiology. His calculations of the phenomenal surface areas of bacteria and fungi demonstrate the potential of life as a powerful geological force. I am proud to say that some of Volk's discussion draws on our very fruitful collaboration studying the biotic influence on weathering and climate, which started from our first meeting at the historic American Geophysical Union conference on Gaia in 1988.
Rating:
Summary: Away With The Fairies
Review: Tyler Volk created a thoughtful and well written book that clearly defines the biogeochemical mechanisms that govern the biosphere. Reading this book is like reading a gripping who-dunit - you don't want to put it down. The "Gaia in Time" chapter captivated me with its analogy of viewing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels as an integral of a complex web of biogeochemical cycles. How this proxy was shifted by cryptogamic microbial crusts, photosynthetic organisms, nitrogen fixers, non-photosynthetic sulfide oxidizers, land plants, and calcareous plankton fascinated me. If you read one book on the Gaia hypothesis, this should be it.
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Summary: Gaia explained
Review: Tyler Volk created a thoughtful and well written book that clearly defines the biogeochemical mechanisms that govern the biosphere. Reading this book is like reading a gripping who-dunit - you don't want to put it down. The "Gaia in Time" chapter captivated me with its analogy of viewing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels as an integral of a complex web of biogeochemical cycles. How this proxy was shifted by cryptogamic microbial crusts, photosynthetic organisms, nitrogen fixers, non-photosynthetic sulfide oxidizers, land plants, and calcareous plankton fascinated me. If you read one book on the Gaia hypothesis, this should be it.
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