In our continuing recognition of the role of bacteria in the life of the planet, here’s another quotation that affirms this:

The basic pattern of life is a network. Whenever you see life, you see networks. The whole planet, what we can term ‘Gaia’ is a network of processes involving feedback tubes. And the world of bacteria is critical to the details of these feedback processes, because bacteria play a crucial role in the regulation of the whole Gaian system.

~ Fritjof Capra

Bedford Reservation, OH – photo by Jeff Burcher Photography, used with permission