Medea Hypothesis

The Medea Hypothesis is a term coined by paleontologist Peter Ward for the anti-Gaian hypothesis that multicellular life, understood as a superorganism, is suicidal; in this view microbial-triggered mass extinctions are attempts to return the Earth to the microbial dominated state it has been for most of its history. ^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]} It is named after the mythological Medea, who killed her own children. Medea represents the Earth, and her children are multicellular life.

Past "suicide attempts" include:

• Methane poisoning, 3.5 billion years ago
• The oxygen catastrophe, 2.7 billion years ago
• Snowball earth twice, 2.3 billion years ago and 790–630 million years ago
• At least five putative hydrogen sulfide-induced mass extinctions, such as the Great Dying, 251.4 million years ago

but does not include the K–T event, since this was, as least partially, externally induced by a meteor impact.

See also

• Fermi paradox

External links

• Peter Ward lecture

References

1. ^ Peter Ward (2009), The Medea Hypothesis: Is Life on Earth Ultimately Self-Destructive?, ISBN 0691130752
2. ^ Gaia's evil twin: Is life its own worst enemy? The New Scientist. Volume 202, Issue 2713, 17 June 2009, pages 28–31 (Cover story)
3. ^ Bennett, Drake (2009-01-11). "Dark green: A scientist argues that the natural world isn't benevolent and sustaining: it's bent on self-destruction". Boston.Com. The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/01/11/dark_green/. Retrieved 2010-02-26. 
4. ^ Grey, William (2010-02). "Gaia theory – Reflections on life on earth". Australian Review of Public Affairs. University of Sydney. http://www.australianreview.net/digest/2010/02/grey.html. Retrieved 2010-02-26. 
5. ^ Google books listing (with preview)
6. ^ Amazon book listing
7. ^ "Peter Ward speaker profile". TED. http://www.ted.com/index.php/speakers/peter_ward.html. Retrieved 2009-02-27. 

Extinction eventsv · d · e

Minor events

↓End-Ediacaran?

↓Lau event

↓Toarcian turnover

↓Aptian

↓Cenomanian-Turonian

↓Middle Miocene
    disruption

↓Cambro-Ordovician

↓Ordo-Silurian

↓Late Devonian

↓Permo-Triassic

↓Triassic–Jurassic

↓Cretaceous-Tertiary

Major events

 

Ediacaran

 

 

Cambrian

 

 

Ordovician

 

 

Silurian

 

 

Devonian

 

 

Carboniferous

 

 

Permian

 

 

Triassic

 

 

Jurassic

 

 

Cretaceous

 

 

Palæogene

 

 

Neo-
gene

 

 

Neoproterozoic

 

 

Palæozoic

 

 

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Cenozoic

 

 

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Millions of years before present