Homeostasis
The maintenance of internal conditions within a viable range despite external change.
Why it matters now
A body holds its temperature within a degree. Earth held its climate within a narrow band for the whole of the Holocene, which is precisely the interval in which agriculture and cities appeared. The project of the Anthropocene is to give the planet deliberate homeostasis where it once had accidental homeostasis, using the same logic of sensing, comparison, and correction.
Where this is happening on Earth
- North AmericaWalter Cannon, Harvard Medical SchoolNamed homeostasis and described the body's self-regulating machinery.
- EuropeJames Lovelock and the Gaia hypothesis, Wiltshire, EnglandProposed that the biosphere regulates planetary conditions, a claim now partly vindicated in Earth system science.
- GlobalHolocene climate stabilityEleven thousand years of unusually narrow temperature variation, the window in which civilisation formed.
- AfricaTermite mound climate control, savanna regionsMounds hold near-constant internal temperature and humidity through passive ventilation, now copied in building design.
- AsiaPassive cooling in traditional Persian and Rajasthani architectureWindcatchers and stepwells holding interior conditions steady without any energy input.
The idea itself
The encyclopedia entry first, then live searches at journals and magazines that keep returning current work on this specific idea.
Current reporting from around the world
Standing feeds at reputable periodicals. These stay fresh on their own, which is why they are here instead of a list of articles that would be out of date within a season.