Microbes 'R' Us

Come join us for a potluck/discussion with our restoration ecologist Jim Laurie about some of the revolutionary ideas developed by Lynn Margulis on the deep relationship among microbes, and all life including humans. Explore the importance of microbial activity to restoring ecosystems and reversing global warming. Potuck 6:00-7:00 p.m. followed by discussion 7:00-9:00 p.m. at Helen Snively's place in Central Square.

Can't be there in person to attend the Meet-Up? No problem! Starting at 7:00 p.m. (after the potluck), we'll be streaming and recording it via Google Hangouts on Air so you can join us virtually or watch the video on your own time to see what you missed: http://tinyurl.com/Microbes-R-Us-Broadcast

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Lynn Margulis was a microbiologist who has given us a broader and more useful view of how life developed on our planet. She insisted that symbiosis was as important to understanding evolution as natural selection. Her descriptions of microbial communities in her many books gave me great insight when developing biodiverse living systems to treat chemical wastewater.

Having this microbial perspective has allowed Jim Laurie to understand why John Todd's "Living Machines" were successful and Allan Savory's "Holistic Planned Grazing" could restore grasslands to their former richness. She is credited with developing the theory of endosymbiosis, also known as symbiogenesis, which explains how complex eukaryotic cells evolved by a fusion of simpler prokaryotic (bacterial) cells. Creating good habitats for microbial communities is critical in all ecosystems as we are now seeing in forests, wetlands, grasslands, and even in our gut. A healthy microbiome in our intestines is a big part of our human immune system.

Margulis enrolled at the University of Chicago at 14 years of age. She was on the faculties of Boston University for two decades before she went to UMass - Amherst in 1988. Using her more holistic view of the evolution of life on earth, she saw much value in Lovelock's Gaia Hypothesis and researched how the biodiversity of life can regulate components of earth's atmosphere, ocean salinity, and planetary temperature.

Learning what Lynn Margulis can teach us about symbiosis will give us great insight as we endeavor to create a future where humanity can thrive by restoring biodiverse ecosystems everywhere.