Gaia hypothesis
- the theory, put forward by James Lovelock, that living matter on the earth collectively defines and regulates the material conditions necessary for the continuance of life. The planet, or rather the biosphere, is thus likened to a vast self-regulating organism.盖亚假说（詹姆斯·洛夫洛克提出的理论, 认为地球上的生物共同限定并调控生命延续所需的物质条件; 地球, 更确切地说生物圈, 因此被比作巨大的能自行调控的有机体）。