Medea Hypothesis
Encyclopedia
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. 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:
but does not include the K–T event, since this was, as least partially, externally induced by a meteor impact.
Peter Ward (paleontologist)
Peter Douglas Ward is a paleontologist and professor of Biology and of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle, and has written popular science works for a general audience. He is also an adviser to the Microbes Mind Forum....
for the anti-Gaian hypothesis
Gaia hypothesis
The Gaia hypothesis, also known as Gaia theory or Gaia principle, proposes that all organisms and their inorganic surroundings on Earth are closely integrated to form a single and self-regulating complex system, maintaining the conditions for life on the planet.The scientific investigation of the...
that multicellular life, understood as a superorganism
Superorganism
A superorganism is an organism consisting of many organisms. This is usually meant to be a social unit of eusocial animals, where division of labour is highly specialised and where individuals are not able to survive by themselves for extended periods of time. Ants are the best-known example of...
, is suicidal; in this view microbial-triggered mass extinctions
Extinction event
An extinction event is a sharp decrease in the diversity and abundance of macroscopic life. They occur when the rate of extinction increases with respect to the rate of speciation...
are attempts to return the Earth to the microbial dominated state it has been for most of its history. It is named after the mythological Medea
Medea
Medea is a woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, and later wife to the hero Jason, with whom she had two children, Mermeros and Pheres. In Euripides's play Medea, Jason leaves Medea when Creon, king of...
, who killed her own children. Medea represents the Earth, and her children are multicellular life.
Past "suicide attempts" include:
- MethaneMethaneMethane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
poisoning, 3.5 billion years ago - The oxygen catastropheGreat Oxygenation EventThe Great Oxygenation Event , also called the Oxygen Catastrophe or Oxygen Crisis or Great Oxidation, was the biologically induced appearance of free oxygen in Earth's atmosphere. This major environmental change happened around 2.4 billion years ago.Photosynthesis was producing oxygen both before...
, 2.7 billion years ago - Snowball earthSnowball EarthThe Snowball Earth hypothesis posits that the Earth's surface became entirely or nearly entirely frozen at least once, some time earlier than 650 Ma . Proponents of the hypothesis argue that it best explains sedimentary deposits generally regarded as of glacial origin at tropical...
twice, 2.3 billion years ago and 790–630 million years ago - At least five putative hydrogen sulfideHydrogen sulfideHydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas with the characteristic foul odor of expired eggs perceptible at concentrations as low as 0.00047 parts per million...
-induced mass extinctions, such as the Great Dying,
but does not include the K–T event, since this was, as least partially, externally induced by a meteor impact.