The Biosphere 2 Missions of 1991 and 1993 (Episode 27)

In the early 1990s, a privately funded ecology experiment took place in the Arizona desert. Sealing humans inside with thousands of carefully selected plants, animals, and insects, the Biosphere 2 missions sought to show that people could survive and thrive in a contained ecosystem - if they could just get over the sleep apnea, cockroaches, orange skin, constant hunger, and difficult interpersonal relationships.

On this episode of Relative Disasters: what went right in Biosphere 2? What went terribly wrong? And what does Steve Bannon (yes, THAT Steve Bannon) have to do with any of it?

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Sources for this episode include:

“Pushing Our Limits: Insights from Biosphere 2” by M. Nelson, 2018

“The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2”, J. Poynter, 2006

"The Lost History of One of the World’s Strangest Science Experiments: The hummingbirds were dying. Cockroaches were everywhere. And then Steve Bannon showed up", C. Zimmer, New York Times, 2019

“Biosphere 2” website, University of Arizona, 2021

“'Bon voyage' 8 Biospherians Begin Journey in Greenhouse”, J. Erickson, Arizona Daily Star, 1991

“Take This Terrarium and Shove It”, M. Cooper, Village Voice, 1991

“Biosphere's image: rise, fall, and rehabilitation”, S. Veggeberg, Metanews, Columbia University, 1995