SCIENCE MASTERS

A distinguished microbiologist explains the importance of symbiosis - where different organisms contribute to each other''s support - and how this is changing our view of life on Earth

Lynn Margulis is an ardent supporter of the Gaia hypothesis: the idea that due to the finely balanced interdependence of all life forms, the planet functions as a single, giant cell. She argues that no organism is an island, and that all are linked to each other.

Written with tremendous zest and authority The Symbiotic Planet traces the evolution of Earth from the origins of life and sex to the emergence of ''hyperseas'' and an eerie future she describes for humanity.