About ten years ago, science writer
Ferris Jabr started contemplating Earth as a
living planet rather than a planet with
life on it. It began when he learned that the Amazon rainforest doesn't simply receive the rain that defines it; rather, it helps generate that rain. The Amazon does that by launching bits of biological confetti into the atmosphere that, in turn, seed clouds. After learning this, he began looking for other ways life changes its environment. That led to his new book
Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life. He talks to host
Regina G. Barber about examples of life transforming the planet — from changing the color of the sky to altering the weather.
Have a story about the environment you'd like us to cover? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
