James Lovelock at 100 says asteroids pose key threat to humanity

Creator of Gaia theory recalls how it nearly had another name and says the age of AI is nigh

James Lovelock has spent a lifetime pondering the forces that shape Earth. It was a pursuit that brought about his most famous creation: a view of the world where life maintains the conditions for life, which he niftily named Gaia theory.

The hypothesis, as it was back then, was wholeheartedly embraced by the fledgling green movement of the 1970s. But for Lovelock, who turned 100 on Friday, more pressing threats to the planet come from nature, not humans. In particular, he's worried about asteroids.