James Lovelock

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James Lovelock: electron-capture detector

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Science & Tech

James Lovelock

English chemist, doctor, and author

Also known as: James Ephraim Lovelock

Written by John P. Rafferty

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

James Lovelock

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Category: Science & Tech

In full:: James Ephraim Lovelock

Born:: July 26, 1919, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, England

Died:: July 26, 2022, Abbotsbury, Dorset (aged 103)

Inventions:: electron-capture detector

Subjects Of Study:: Gaia hypothesis

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James Lovelock (born July 26, 1919, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, England—died July 26, 2022, Abbotsbury, Dorset) English chemist, medical doctor, scientific instrument developer, and author best known for the creation and promulgation of the Gaia hypothesis, an idea rooted in the notion that all life on Earth is part of an entity that regulates Earth’s surficial and atmospheric processes. Lovelock was also the inventor of several chemical-detecting devices, including the electron-capture detector (ECD). Lovelock was the son of Thomas Arthur Lovelock, an art dealer, and Nellie Ann Elizabeth March, a town councilwoman. As a child he became interested in science ...(100 of 664 words)

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