If Earth breathes, sweats and quakes — if it births zillions of organisms that ceaselessly devour, transfigure and replenish its air, water and rock — and if those creatures and their physical environments evolve in tandem, then why shouldn’t we think of our planet as alive?

~ Ferris Jabr 

Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica – photo by CelsoDiniz, bigstockphoto.com