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The original title: "this scientific experiment left eight men and women trapped in a greenhouse for two years for people to visit." "

(photo Source: Vox) there are many crazy scientific experiments in history.

But Biosphere 2 in the 1990s is probably the most romantic and ambitious of them. Because it was originally built to imitate Biosphere 1, our planet.

Built at a cost of $150 million, Biosphere 2 is a futuristic building surrounded by glass that looks like a big greenhouse.

It is located in Arizona, USA, covering an area of one hectare, about the size of a standard playground.

The design of Biosphere 2. (photo Source: The Institute of Ecotechnics) between 1991 and 1993, four men and four women lived in it for two years. They grow their own crops, feed livestock, and recycle all air and water.

At that time, it was thought that the exploration of Biosphere 2 could prepare for the future interstellar voyage of mankind.

It was not until the behind-the-scenes stories of Biosphere 2 were unveiled that people realized that it was a failed, over-focused scientific experiment.

In fact, the embryonic form of the second Earth "Biosphere 2" does not have many scientific attributes.

It originated in an experimental community in New Mexico, where people live a simple life. They grow their own crops and have time to do experimental drama.

Later, they wanted to build a new community that could combine ecosystems with technology to become self-sufficient. The idea was funded by the son of an oil tycoon in Texas.

In 1984, Biosphere 2 began to be built in the Arizona desert.

Biosphere 2 was built in the desert. (photo source: Mark Nelson) the space biosphere venture capital firm in charge of the project has announced that it will be a closed space in which biology will flourish.

After construction, Biosphere 2 does look like a small earth.

It has land, sea, wetlands, deserts, grasslands and other ecosystems, although they are all mini.

To make these ecosystems more realistic, engineers spend a lot of energy creating tides for the ocean, ensuring that the rainforest has the right temperature and precipitation, and even trying to create a breeze in it.

The mini-ocean in Biosphere 2. (photo source: The Institute of Ecotechnics) in addition, there are more than 3800 species of animals and plants living in Biosphere 2.

In addition to chickens, goats and pigs raised by humans, there are also wild animals such as hummingbirds and lemurs.

Humans can grow up to 80 kinds of crops, including rice, yam, peanuts, beets, wheat, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, kale, eggplant, onions, sweet potatoes, potatoes, pumpkins and so on.

In addition, the designers also introduced insects to decompose organic waste, while sewage is treated and recycled.

The team members are growing crops and raising goats. (photo source: TED) on the morning of September 26, 1991, Biosphere 2 was officially launched.

The eight crew members, dressed in blue jumpsuits, like astronauts in sci-fi movies, delivered spirited speeches in front of dense media and cameras.

"I will breathe the earth's air for the last time, because I know that I will breathe in a different atmosphere in the next two years."

Team member Jane Poynter recalled that it was like they were going on a space mission.

But in fact, there are no astronauts among the eight crew members. Some of them are botanists, some are marine biologists, some have backgrounds in animal husbandry and engineers, and even surgeons.

Under the attention of the global media, eight people walked into this huge glass house and began a closed life that lasted for two years.

Jane Poynter's speech before entering the biosphere. (photo Source: future roaming Guide) Life in Biosphere 2 is not leisurely. In fact, the team members are very busy.

Team member Mark Nelson later counted their time allocation and found that they spent at least 1/4 of their time growing crops.

Others include research and maintenance (20%), report writing (19%), cooking (12%), biological community management (11%) and animal husbandry (9%). The rest of the time, they have to give interviews to the media and deal with all kinds of things.

Outside the greenhouse, millions of tourists and students come here by bus every year, watching their every move through the glass with great interest.

A team member remembers that Jane Goodall, a well-known anthropologist, had also visited. "her expression looked like she was watching primates."

The group members and tourists looked at each other through the glass. (photo source: TED) staying on Biosphere 2 is a new experience for team members.

Mark Nelson recalled that it was a wonderful feeling because everything he did, he could see the impact immediately.

"every time I breathe, those plants are waiting for my carbon dioxide, they are my third lung …... I have an absolute connection with the creatures here."

Everything about the vanishing oxygen Biosphere 2 looks so good.

Later, the media and the public learned that the company that runs Biosphere 2 actually withheld a lot of information, and the biggest lie was its closeness.

Only two weeks after its launch, Biosphere 2 went wrong.

Team member Jane Poynter accidentally cut off part of his fingertip while using the thresher. The doctor on standby gave her emergency treatment, but she still needed to be taken to hospital for surgery.

It took a few hours for Jane Poynter to return to the glass house, but no media was aware of the "smuggling operation".

Later, the reporter found out more and more facts, and people began to feel cheated.

It turned out that the Biosphere 2 staff would provide a variety of supplies to the team members twice a month, including crop seeds, vitamins and tools for catching cockroaches and rats.

Moreover, in the first few months of their stay, due to the overcast and rainy weather and poor harvest, the team members also obtained food directly from the storeroom.

Even so, the team members often go hungry. Mark Nelson remembers that he lost about 11 kilograms and even ate peanut shells when he was hungriest.

A farm in the biosphere. (photo source: The Institute of Ecotechnics) other creatures in the biosphere are not living well either.

Hummingbirds and bees became extinct in Biosphere 2, making it impossible for crops to pollinate. Cockroaches, originally introduced to decompose faeces, multiply like crazy and almost nibble up crops.

However, the biggest threat to the team members is not hunger, but breathing.

For some reason, the amount of oxygen in the air of Biosphere 2 is declining, from an initial 21% to a low of 14.2%.

Such a thin oxygen makes the team members seem to be living on a plateau of 4500 meters.

The team members recalled the scene at that time. (photo Source: future roaming Guide) some members of the group begin to have apnea during sleep, and some need to stop to take a breath in the middle of a speech to finish a long sentence.

Everyone tries to slow down so as not to consume any extra energy.

Fearing that less oxygen would affect the health of the team members, workers injected pure oxygen into Biosphere 2.

For a moment, the team members danced for joy, and shouted and ran frantically. Mark Nelson described it as like a 90-year-old man returning to youth.

Later, after research, it was found that the concrete in the biosphere would absorb carbon dioxide, resulting in a reduction in oxygen content, which is a design flaw.

The decline curve of oxygen concentration in Biosphere 2. (photo source: William Dempster) not to mention Biosphere 2 has a dead end-it failed to solve the energy problem.

Although it uses some of its solar energy, in fact, Biosphere 2 has never lost power. The operation of all the machines, light sources and ecosystems inside still rely on the outside to provide a large amount of electricity.

In the propaganda, Biosphere 2 is positioned as the first artificial biosphere in the world, and it is a scientific experiment to carry out closed experiments, but in fact, it relies on electricity and material replenishment everywhere, failing to achieve carbon cycle and oxygen cycle.

No wonder Biosphere 2 received a lot of ridicule and condemnation after it ended.

Some people call it pseudoscience, while others point out that it is just a Reality Show under capital control and a novel entertainment program.

A failed practice in fact, the participants in Biosphere 2 also knew that the experiment was not "closed".

Mark Nelson revealed in his book that the eight team members didn't really hit it off at the time. They split into two groups of four and disliked each other.

The source of the split between the two groups is that they have different views on the experiment. One group believes that "closure" should not be emphasized and that more time should be spent on scientific research, while the other group wants to remain the same.

The apathy and hostility among the team members also made the entire Biosphere 2 experience worse.

A group photo of the team members. (photo source: Dartmouthalumnimagazine) it is now widely believed that the Biosphere 2 experiment was a failure.

It takes a lot of money, manpower and resources to build, manage and operate, but it cannot provide enough air, water and food for just eight people.

Later, Biosphere 2 was donated to the University of Arizona, where researchers are still working on it.

But Biosphere 2 is not useless. Based on this, some scientists have designed an ecological ball, an airtight ball with shrimp, algae, microbes and water, which can be self-sufficient by sunlight alone.

Some scientists have also seen the positive significance of this experiment.

Ecologist William Schlesinger believes that everything we know about ecosystems is based on descriptive work, and Biosphere 2 is a valuable practice that cannot be obliterated.

Now Biosphere 2. (photo source: Dartmouthalumnimagazine) Mark Nelson, who was involved, is also angry at the accusations of "pseudoscience".

He believes that Biosphere 2 is the greatest experiment ever carried out in the field of ecology. It is not a survival challenge, there is nothing to blame for introducing materials, and "closure" has never been the purpose of the experiment.

At the same time, it is also a fledgling experiment, it is impossible to run perfectly at the beginning, it is bound to experience frustrations and setbacks, even if it fails, it can also provide experience for later generations.

Mark Nelson is optimistic that human beings will be able to solve their own problems in the future, and this optimism is brought to him by his experience living in Biosphere 2.

"it tells us that every action, no matter how small, is important."

At present, Biosphere 2 is still doing scientific research. (photo Source: science photo library) American director Matt Wolf made a documentary called Spaceship Earth for Biosphere 2. In his view, this is not a question of the success or failure of a scientific experiment, it actually implies human ambition and its limitations.

In the 1990s, human beings had a boundless vision for the universe and outer space, imagining that we would move to the moon or Mars in 50 years' time.

Thirty years later, we still live on Earth, and emigration to another planet seems to be a long way off.

Biosphere 2 failed. We can put it off and start all over again.

But on Biosphere 1, Earth, no one will provide us with extra oxygen, food and water, and it all depends on human beings to mix, adapt, and create.

Since you can't escape, run it well and start with the smallest action.

Reference:

[1] John Allen, Mark Nelson. Biospherics and Biosphere 2, mission one (1991-1993). Ecological Engineering 13 (1999) 15-29

[2] The Lost History Of One Of The World'S Strangest Science Experiments (Published 2019). 2019. Nytimes.Com.

[3] "ULTIMATE SURVIVAL: DESERT DREAMERS BUILD A MAN-MADE WORLD (Published 1986)" 1986. Nytimes.Com.

[4] Schlesinger, William H. 2018. "A Noosphere". Bioscience 68 (9): 722-723.

[5] Eight Go Mad In Arizona: How A Lockdown Experiment Went Horribly Wrong. 2020. The Guardian.

[6] "Biosphere 2: What Really Happened? 2022. Dartmouth Alumni Magazine.

This article comes from the official Wechat account: take Science Home (ID:steamforkids), written by: Greye, revised by Han Jingjing

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