Gaia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gaia or Gaea (from the Greek words Ge (γη) = Earth (Pelasgian), and *aia (αια) = grandmother (PIE)) thus Gaia (γαια), can refer to any one of the following:

• Gaia as myth, Greek goddess (her equivalent in Rome is Terra or Tellus), in Sumerian mythology she is referred to as Ki;
• Gaia as metaphor - set of philosophical views based on ecosystems and the concept of a "living planet";
• Gaia as model - group of scientific theories about how life on Earth may regulate the planet's biosphere to make it more hospitable to life; Gaia's Revenge - futures studies forecast about unintended consequences of brewing climate storms;
• Gaia as a movement - international network of groups drawing inspiration from Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis;
• Gaia hypothesis - an ecological hypothesis that proposes that living and nonliving parts of the earth are viewed as a complex interacting system that can be thought of as a single organism

Fiction:

• Gaia (Foundation universe), a fictional planet in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series and where all animals, plants, and even inanimate matter are telepathically connected, forming a single sentient planet-wide entity
• Gaea trilogy, a trilogy of science fiction novels by John Varley
• Gaia Gear, a science-fiction novel written by Yoshiyuki Tomino, based on the Gundam metaseries
• ZGMF-X88S Gaia Gundam, a fictional weapon from the Cosmic Era of the anime Gundam metaseries
• Gaia (comics), a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Universe (an alien mutant and former member of Generation X)
• Gaea (comics), a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Universe (Goddess of the Earth)
• Gaia, Rogue Champion, a character in the PlayStation game Battle Arena Toshinden
• Illusion of Gaia, the second title in the Soul Blazer series of video games for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
• Ultraman Gaia.
• Gaia is also the name of the planet in several Final Fantasy games, such as Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy IX, and is the name of 'Earth's spirit' in the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
• Gaia (DC comics), a goddess from DC's Green Lantern comics
• Gaia (My Gaia), a shojo-ai manga comic by chuu
• Gaea (Escaflowne), the fictional planet where the anime The Vision of Escaflowne takes place
• Gaia (World of Darkness) is the god that created the Garou (werewolves) to defend the planet against the human race
• Gaea, the Incarnation of Nature in Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality book series
• Gaea, a fictional island off the coast of Portugal in Madeleine L'Engle's novel The Arm of the Starfish
• Gaia-class worlds are perfect for human life in games like Master of Orion and Haegemonia: Legions of Iron.
• Gaia the heroine of series fearless by Franicine Pascal

Astronomy:

• Gaia probe, a space astronomy mission due for launch in 2011 by the European Space Agency
• Gaea (crater), a crater on Amalthea (Jupiter's third moon)
• 1184 Gaea, an asteroid

Music:

• Gaia is a pseudonym of the DJ Armin Van Buuren
• Gaia is an album and song by Valensia
• Gaia (1995 EP) is an album by the swedish band Tiamat
• Gaia (1994 album), an album by Olivia Newton-John
• Gaia (album), an album by Mägo de Oz
• Gaia (song), a song by The Devin Townsend Band
• Gaia (song), a song by James Taylor; 1997 album Hourglass
• Gaia (Swedish band), a Swedish alternative heavy-rock band
• Gaia (British band), a Yorkshire (Barnsley) rock band
• Gaya (band), an Israeli band
• the Gaia (Japanese band), a Japanese hardcore punk band
• Gaia (GTO album), an album by rock band Grasshopper Takeover

Places:

• La Fountae de Gaia, in the center of the main Piazza of Siena, around which the traditional horse-race, the Palio, runs every summer.
• Vila Nova de Gaia, a city in Portugal
• GAIA, the acronym for the Grantley Adams International Airport located in Barbados
• Gaia is the spirit of Earth in Captain Planet, animated series
• Gaia Trafikk is the largest public transport company in Bergen, Norway
• Gaià, a river in Catalonia, Spain

Gaia may also refer to:

• Gaia (ship), a replica of the Viking Gokstad longship, voyaged from Norway to Washington D.C. in 1991
• Gaia Ajax Web Widgets, a .NET based AJAX framework
• Gaia Online, an Internet forum
• Gaia (chess), a chess engine or computer program that can play chess
• GAEA Japan, a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion
• Gaia (company), a Japanese video game developer.
• GAIA Paddlesports, an American company that manufactures outdoor products.

[edit] See also

• Gaya (disambiguation)
• gaia theories