Life at the Planetary Scale

“The face of the Earth viewed from celestial space presents a unique appearance, different from all other heavenly bodies,” observed the Soviet scientist Vladimir I. Vernadsky, in 1926. Decades before spacecraft visually confirmed the striking beauty of Earth’s blues and greens set against the black of space, Verndasky identified—correctly—that the planet was indelibly changed by the “living film” that covered it. Earth created life, and then life shaped the Earth.

The biosphere has made and remade the planet’s atmosphere, chemistry, climate, energy balance, landscapes, and more. Earth is only the way that it is because of the effects of life. Life, then, is not only interconnected to life, but it is also entangled with the rock, water, and air of the planet itself.

Further exploration

Find a quiet place to sit. Breathe in. Consider the origin of the air you just inhaled. Where has it been? Who has it passed through? Hold the breath. Consider philosopher Achille Mbembe’s idea that breathing is not an individual act, we “share the vital breath.” Breathe out. Consider Vernadsky’s claim that “no living organism exists on earth in a state of freedom” because all organisms on Earth are connected through respiration. Repeat, seeking an answer to the question: With whom are you connected through breath?

Further reading

Jonathan S. Blake and Nils Gilman, Children of a Modest Star: Planetary Thinking for an Age of Crises (2024)

Ferris Jabr, Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life (2024)

Achille Mbembe, “How to Develop a Planetary Consciousness,” Noema Magazine (2022)

Christine J. Winter, “Even a Grain of Sand Deserves Justice,” Noema Magazine (2025)

About NHM's First Fridays

First Fridays celebrates 20 years as Los Angeles’ premier museum after-hours experience, where exclusive nighttime access to the Natural History Museum of Los brings music, science and culture together for an engaging evening of conversation and community. Throughout the night, guests are free to explore the Museum at their own pace, exploring galleries and exhibitions in a lively, social setting.

In addition to live music featuring tastemaking artists from around the globe, along with locally-loved DJs and all-night dancing, the First Fridays signature discussion series continues, presented in collaboration with the Planetary Program at the Berggruen Institute and moderated by trusted science communicator and neuroscientist Dr. Yewande Pearse. Each program features engaging conversations with scientists and topic experts from NHM and across the country.