Voices of Science

James Lovelock (1919-) is best known for the development of his Gaia hypothesis and as the inventor of the Electron Capture Detector, which increased the range of atmospheric pollutants that could be detected accurately. Although he originally trained as a chemist, graduating from the University of Manchester in 1941, his scientific contributions, inventions and career have straddled many disciplines includingmedicine, biology, atmospheric science, instrumentation and geophysiology. His early career was spent at the National Institute of Medical Research before he moved to Baylor University in the United States in 1961. Since 1964 he has been an independent scientist, working in association with a number of institutions including the Marine Biological Research Association.