If you think the biosphere is pretty cool check this out! At the University of Arizona they have created a new biosphere! This complex spans over three acres and has cost over 200 million dollars to create. The goal behind Biosphere 2 is to bridge the gap between our biosphere and science by creating a living laboratory of sorts. The idea is that within this strictly manipulated environment scientists will have the opportunity to better observe how the environment works. The reason this is so important is because scientific equipment that cannot be easily transported can be implemented to take readings and perform experiments. There is a bit of controversy surrounding the success of this establishment but regardless, it is a vital experiment in the eventual goal of making settlements in inhospitable climates including other planets. Good information can be found in the “science” section of this website where the organization explains its mission and purpose. Definitely worth checking out!
This site was really interesting. It’s amazing how the sciences continue to evolve. The carbon-water nexus project should starting gaining a lot of attention because it is related to how global warming will impact regions such as Amazonia.
This is such a cool concept! It was really interesting that the facility is also sealed underground. Obviously to maintain this facility, a lot of power is needed (to control temperature, lighting, etc) and I wonder how sustainable this facility will be able to be in the future? A lot of energy is used to run Biosphere 2… Will it be a viable site in the future as fossil fuels become more scarce?
This seems like a really cool concept, but I have to agree that it sounds very demanding in terms of resources. It will be interesting to keep up with it and hear about its successes/failures in the near future.
This is seriously awesome. Like cc7sn said, I found it very interesting that they sealed off the ground as well, making this one of the most truly contained experimental habitats I’ve come across. While I agree that a very large and probably unsustainable level of resources will be needed to keep this going, I think it’s worth it. Scientists have been trying to explain certain ecological phenomenon for decades now that can simply not be replicated on a small scale (for instance, huffakers fruit fly and oranges experiment). This new technology may finally allow us to witness and control ecological variables on a scale which will produce relevant findings.
This place is really cool, I actually took a tour of it once, and my friend worked there doing research last summer. If you are ever in Tucson Arizona and want to drive an hour out in the dessert in the middle of nowhere and take a very expensive tour, I suggest it.
The research sounds really fascinating! the ability to research different biospheres in one facility is definitely a big plus for scientists, since they can control conditions in this space. If they need more funding, they could always just stick Pauly Shore in there, I think that basic concept made some money in the past.