Biosphere II Is Back: The perfect intermediary between nature and lab

Extract

Biosphere II, the futuristic-looking structure in Arizona's Sonoran Desert, has a habit of reinventing itself. First, it was a sealed system in which researchers—originally called bionauts—and later biospherans—grew their own food, generated their own oxygen, and conducted experiments in a variety of biomes, all with an eye toward understanding Earth's biosystems and preparing for space missions, perhaps to Mars (see box 1). Then it became a remote classroom operated by Columbia University. After its earliest years, Biosphere II operated much of the time under threat of being closed and sold to developers, its 6.5 square kilometers turned perhaps into a resort and golf course.

Scientific research remained the owners' chief hope, however, and the effort to save Biosphere II for science bore fruit in 2007 when the University of Arizona (UA) announced that it would take on part of the operation. The enormous laboratory was reborn with a brand-new mission.