Adam Frank

And so rather than to your point about do you need giant catastrophes, maybe not giant catastrophes, but what happens is as the Earth and life are evolving together, windows are opening up, evolutionary windows. Like, for example, life put oxygen into the atmosphere. When life invented this new form of photosynthesis about two and a half billion years ago,

that broke water apart to work, to do its chemical shenanigans. It broke water apart and pushed oxygen into the atmosphere. That's why there's oxygen in the atmosphere. It's only because of life. That opened up huge possibilities, new spaces for evolution to happen. But it also changed the chemistry of the planet forever.

that broke water apart to work, to do its chemical shenanigans. It broke water apart and pushed oxygen into the atmosphere. That's why there's oxygen in the atmosphere. It's only because of life. That opened up huge possibilities, new spaces for evolution to happen. But it also changed the chemistry of the planet forever.

that broke water apart to work, to do its chemical shenanigans. It broke water apart and pushed oxygen into the atmosphere. That's why there's oxygen in the atmosphere. It's only because of life. That opened up huge possibilities, new spaces for evolution to happen. But it also changed the chemistry of the planet forever.

So the introduction of oxygen photosynthesis changed the planet forever, and it opened up a bunch of windows for evolution that wouldn't have happened otherwise. Like, for example, you and I, we need that amount of oxygen. Big-brained creatures need an oxygen-rich atmosphere because oxygen is so potent for metabolism.

So the introduction of oxygen photosynthesis changed the planet forever, and it opened up a bunch of windows for evolution that wouldn't have happened otherwise. Like, for example, you and I, we need that amount of oxygen. Big-brained creatures need an oxygen-rich atmosphere because oxygen is so potent for metabolism.

So the introduction of oxygen photosynthesis changed the planet forever, and it opened up a bunch of windows for evolution that wouldn't have happened otherwise. Like, for example, you and I, we need that amount of oxygen. Big-brained creatures need an oxygen-rich atmosphere because oxygen is so potent for metabolism.

So you couldn't get intelligent creatures 100 million years after the planet formed.

So you couldn't get intelligent creatures 100 million years after the planet formed.

So you couldn't get intelligent creatures 100 million years after the planet formed.

Yeah, and we know this for a fact now. So there was this thing, Gaia theory, that was James Lovelock introduced in the 70s. And then Lynn Margulis, the biologist, Lynn Margulis together. So this Gaia theory was the idea that Planets pretty much take, or sorry, life takes over a planet.

Yeah, and we know this for a fact now. So there was this thing, Gaia theory, that was James Lovelock introduced in the 70s. And then Lynn Margulis, the biologist, Lynn Margulis together. So this Gaia theory was the idea that Planets pretty much take, or sorry, life takes over a planet.

Yeah, and we know this for a fact now. So there was this thing, Gaia theory, that was James Lovelock introduced in the 70s. And then Lynn Margulis, the biologist, Lynn Margulis together. So this Gaia theory was the idea that Planets pretty much take, or sorry, life takes over a planet.

Life hijacks a planet in a way that the sum total of life creates these feedbacks between the planet and the life such that it keeps the planet habitable. It's kind of a homeostasis, right? I can go out like right now outside, it's 100 degrees, right? And I go outside, but my internal temperature is going to be the same.

Life hijacks a planet in a way that the sum total of life creates these feedbacks between the planet and the life such that it keeps the planet habitable. It's kind of a homeostasis, right? I can go out like right now outside, it's 100 degrees, right? And I go outside, but my internal temperature is going to be the same.

Life hijacks a planet in a way that the sum total of life creates these feedbacks between the planet and the life such that it keeps the planet habitable. It's kind of a homeostasis, right? I can go out like right now outside, it's 100 degrees, right? And I go outside, but my internal temperature is going to be the same.

And I can go back to, you know, Rochester, New York in the winter, and it's going to be, you know, zero degrees, but my internal temperature is going to be the same. That's homeostasis. The idea of Gaia theory was that life, the biosphere, exerts this pressure on the planet or these feedbacks on the planet that even as other things are changing...

And I can go back to, you know, Rochester, New York in the winter, and it's going to be, you know, zero degrees, but my internal temperature is going to be the same. That's homeostasis. The idea of Gaia theory was that life, the biosphere, exerts this pressure on the planet or these feedbacks on the planet that even as other things are changing...

And I can go back to, you know, Rochester, New York in the winter, and it's going to be, you know, zero degrees, but my internal temperature is going to be the same. That's homeostasis. The idea of Gaia theory was that life, the biosphere, exerts this pressure on the planet or these feedbacks on the planet that even as other things are changing...

the planet will always stay in the right kinds of conditions for life. And now when this theory came out, it was very controversial. People were like, oh my God, you know, what are you smoking weed? You know, and like, there were all these guy and festivals with guy and dances. And so, you know, it became very popular in the new age community.