ORACLE, Arizona—From the outset, the Biosphere 2 project had all the ingredients of a large-scale earth science experiment with profound implications for human survival in outer space.
Could a small group of people live and thrive in a pyramid-shaped building reminiscent of a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece, sealed off from the world?
The answer was a qualified “yes.”
In September 1991, four men and four women entered the 3.1-acre enclosed facility, named after Earth as the first biosphere, and shut the doors behind them for the next two years.
Biosphere 2 Deputy Director John Adams discusses the many research projects at the 40-acre complex in Oracle, Ariz., on Jan. 11, 2023. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)
Inside the massive structure, the team of multi-disciplinary scientists—”biospherians,” as they were called—toiled in the rich soil of a half-acre garden plot, living more or less harmoniously while logging data on the project’s seven model ecosystems….