On September 26, 1993, eight scientists who had lived in the isolated "Biosphere 2" for two years walked out of this small artificial world. It not only marked the end of the first test of the US "Biosphere 2" project, but also recreated another miracle in the history of human existence.
Since 1940, due to the advancement of science and technology, human production, life and exploration have spread all over the world. According to statistics, 87% of the land has been disturbed by human activities, and only 3% of the land has not been touched by humans. Later, when human beings faced the challenge of rationally restoring, protecting and developing natural resources, some people issued the call "We only have one earth".
On September 26, 1991, all major media in the world published an exciting news on the front page - the "Biosphere 2" established by the American Space Biosphere Venture Capital Corporation was put into operation. Eight male and female scientists were all smiles. At 8:15 a.m., the Earth officially settled in a fully enclosed greenhouse simulating the earth's environment in the Arizona desert, USA, and began a long-term self-sufficient and isolated life.
This experiment is called "Biosphere 2". Compared with the Earth's "Biosphere One", it is just a microcosm of the Earth. In this small man-made world of 12,545 square meters built of glass and steel frames, eight male and female scientists are completely isolated from the outside world except for a telex machine and an electric power supply. No one is allowed to leave this place unless seriously ill.
And "Biosphere 2" is like a huge "ecological ball", with 3,800 species of animals and plants inside under an arched glass cover. In addition, there are lakes, deserts, woods, grasslands and farmland, buildings, and devices that create artificial wind and rain. For two years, eight male and female scientists had to raise poultry and livestock and grow crops to make a living. Here, nothing will be wasted and will be recycled. For example, inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide . Green plants perform photosynthesis on the contrary. The use of any pesticides is strictly prohibited. Biological control of diseases and insect pests on crops will be carried out using ladybugs, yellow wasps, etc.
In April of the following year, the British "New Scientist" weekly also believed that "this is the most exciting scientific research project implemented in the United States since President Kennedy proposed the plan to fly to the moon." But the result was unexpected to many people - before the eight male and female scientists who moved in could release their excitement and joy, they discovered that the air in Biosphere 2 was getting worse and worse, and the oxygen was getting less and less. , the elevated carbon dioxide concentration led to fatigue and insomnia, so that two scientists later had to rely on oxygen to sleep. At the beginning, scientists could still go for a swim in the "ocean" every day, but the red tide formed after the eutrophication of the seawater was daunting. When scientists saw many lively creatures dying one by one, their mood became worse day by day. Nearly a quarter of the species died in less than a year, causing them to completely lose confidence. In the end, the eight male and female scientists couldn't stay any longer and came out sick one by one. Subsequently, the scientists organized two more experiments to inhabit people, but both ended in failure, and the time of inhabiting people became shorter and shorter each time. So, why did "Biosphere 2" end in failure?
It turns out that our human understanding of the earth is far from enough. The best way at present is to protect and make good use of the earth, and environmental protection and ecological restoration are the only way to achieve human sustainability. The only way to achieve sustainable development. Despite this, this experiment reflects human wisdom and scientific enterprising spirit, and also provides the most powerful proof for humans to better understand the complexity of the earth and ecosystems!
