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 gives it its namesake; rather, it helps generate that rain. The Amazon does that by launching bits of biological confetti into the atmosphere that, in turn, seed clouds.
He began looking for other ways life changes its environment, which led to his new book Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life. He talks to host Regina G. Barber about examples of how life transformed the planet — from changing the color of our sky to altering the weather.
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This episode was produced and fact checked by Berly McCoy and edited by Rebecca Ramirez. The audio engineer was Kwesi Lee.
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