The Atlas Obscura Podcast
A Glass Palace in the Arizona Desert
Apr 3, 2025
Mark Nelson, a Biospherian who spent two years inside the innovative Biosphere 2, shares insights from his book "Pushing Our Limits." He discusses the ambitious vision behind the project, highlighting the excitement and skepticism it generated. The conversation dives into the psychological challenges of living in a calorie-restricted environment and the social dynamics that influenced group cohesion. Nelson reflects on how the intense experience taught lessons about interconnectedness and survival, ultimately leading to a triumphant return to the outside world.
24:49
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Quick takeaways
- Biosphere 2 aimed to create a self-sustaining ecosystem, revealing the complexities of maintaining balance in closed environments.
- The project illustrated the psychological and physical struggles of the team, highlighting the impact of extreme conditions on human dynamics.
Deep dives
The Ambitious Undertaking of Biosphere 2
In September 1991, eight individuals entered Biosphere 2, a closed ecological system designed to mimic Earth’s biosphere. The goal was to create a self-sustaining environment where they would live for two years, maintaining various ecosystems like a rainforest and an ocean, all meticulously planned to survive without external resources. This ambitious project was inspired by a vision of understanding how ecosystems function and how they might be replicated in space colonization efforts. The crew aimed to observe the interactions between living organisms within this artificially constructed habitat, akin to a Noah's Ark on dry land.
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