Homage to Gaia.. The Life of an Independent Scientist

For over 35 years, James Lovelock has been producing world-class science from his village home. His work has led to the founding of the Green Movement and his famous Gaia theory has changed the way we think about the Earth. This most unusual scientist tells us of his childhood, apprenticeship, and the development of his many influential ideas; the invention of the Electron Capture Detector that revealed that pesticides and harmful chemicals were polluting on a global scale ; the discovery that CFCs accumulating in Earth's atmosphere and endangering the ozone layer ; and most importantly, his persistent quest for Gaia. Lovelock has worked for many multinational organizations, including NASA and the Ministry of Defence, and his description of them is as unconventional as his science. This book is a warm personal testament of a man who has led an extraordinary life. He is truly one of the most outstanding and creative thinkers of the twentieth century.