Science: Biogeochemist

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The Noösphere. "In the 20th Century," he wrote, "man for the first time in the history of the earth knew and embraced the whole biosphere. . . . That mineralogical rarity, native [i.e., pure] iron, is now being produced by the billions of tons. Native aluminum, which never before existed on our planet, is now produced in any quantity. The same is true with regard to the countless number of artificial chemical combinations newly created on our planet. Chemically, the face of our planet, the biosphere, is being sharply changed by man.... New species and races of animals and plants are being created by man."

To describe this state of affairs, Vernadsky, who had a weakness for creating new tongue twisters, coined the term "noösphere," from the Greek nods (mind) and sphere. Said he: "The noösphere is a new geological phenomenon on our planet. In it for the first time man becomes a large-scale geological force.... Wider and wider creative possibilities open before him. It may be that the generation of our grandchildren will approach their blossoming. . . . Fairy-tale dreams appear possible in the future; man is striving to emerge beyond the boundaries of his planet into cosmic space. And he probably will do so."