The Biosphere 2 appears out of nowhere as you drive through the Arizona desert near Oracle. A $150 million facility that covers over 3 acres, the Biosphere 2 is home to some of Earth's greatest ecological experiments. The Glass structures holds 5 biomes; ocean, mangrove, tropical rainforest, grassland and desert. Today, the center is owned by the University of Arizona but it's original purpose is truly fascinating.
In 1991, four men and four men were sent into the Biosphere 2 as an experiment to try to prove that humankind could be self-sustaining in a closed environment. The goal was for these eight humans to survive in the Biosphere 2 without any form of intervention for two years. The crew members were to grow their own food and the various biomes would recycle essential resources such as air and water. Scientists hoped that if the experiment was successful, the model could be used to colonize places beyond Earth.
Unfortunately just twelve days into the experiment, a crew member had to seek emergency medical care outside of the Biosphere 2. When the member returned, they carried duffle bags of supplies into the facility. So much for self-sustainability. By the second year of the experiment, oxygen and other supplies were being sent in to the Biosphere 2 almost daily. At the end of the day, the original objective of the project could not be met.
The $150 million facility did not go to waste. Today, the Biosphere 2 is home to some of the greatest ecological research ever conducted. These research projects will have lasting effects on the planet and have helped to solve some of the Earth's most pressing issues. The New Yorker reported, “much of what is known about coral reefs and ocean acidification was originally discovered, improbably enough in Arizona, in the self-enclosed, supposedly self-sufficient world known as Biosphere 2.”
The Biosphere 2 will be an extremely critical resource for environmental research in the future. Research addressing concerns over climate change, new technology, sustainability and resource management is ongoing at the Biosphere 2. Who knows, maybe an experiment originally intended to prove humans can survive elsewhere will end up playing a major role in preserving Earth itself.
