I was a small boy, no older the twelve, when I first heard of the Gaia hypothesis. Yes I am that much of a geek. Even when I was a kid, I heard about the idea that the planet earth could be a living thing. The idea entranced and enraptured me. I have always loved nature and living where I do, I have always had a chance to be very close to the land. I would spend hours and hours watching (ok sometimes tormenting) bugs while they scurried across the ground and loved watching little birdies fly across the sky. 

I still do enjoy the natural world but really have not given the Gaia idea much thought for years. Its not something a rational and logical human being considers is it? I mean the Gaia hypothesis is a fringe hypothesis, belived in by hippies and new age weirdos only right? Then I read this article.

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080701-st-earth-sounds.htm

(use the video player it says the same thing as the article) 

I know, I know. Its a sound frequency generated when highly charged particles from solar wind collide with the earth's ionosphere. This AKR radiation is well known and studied by reputable scientists and has a variety of potential applications.

But just smack me if I am being an idiot...but don't those chirps and whistles made by the earth almost sound like it could be coming from something alive? IT sounds like the cacophony of dozens of chattering birds or the songs of dozens of whales. It sounds alive. Could it be that this is the song of the planet?

Am I reaching. Am I begging for it to be true? Nature itself has always felt alive to me. A grand and all encompassing force I could only dream of knowing fully and completely. If the Earth does sing, I would not think its voice to be horrible like the author of this article. It sounds beautiful.

Could the Earth be singing? If so what is its song about? Is it a sad song? Is it it a happy one? But then I force myself to be rational. Long ago, I learned that in order to be considered a living thing, an object must fufill the following criteria:

• Living things are made of cells.
• Living things obtain and use energy.
  
• Living things grow and develop.
• Living things reproduce.
  
• Living things respond to their environment.
  
• Living things adapt to their environment.

The earth at best only fufill four of these criteria at best. So according to this model, the Earth could not be alive. But I cannot shake the feeling...is the earth alive? Maybe our knowledge of life is incomplete. Is the Earth singing?  What is its song? What is it trying to say?