The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2

Book Description

It’s a story that has never been told … until now.

Imagine being sealed into a closed environment for two years — cut off from the outside world with only seven other people — enduring never-ending hunger, severely low levels of oxygen, and extremely difficult relationships. Crew members struggled to survive in Biosphere 2, where they swore nothing would go in or out — no food or water, not even air — all in the name of science.

For the first time, biospherian Jane Poynter — who lived and loved in the Biosphere — is ready to share what really happened in there. She takes readers on a riveting, fast-paced trip through shattered lives, scientific discovery, cults, love, fears of insanity, and inspiring human endurance.

The eight biospherians who closed themselves into the Biosphere emerged 730 days later… much wiser, thinner, and having done what many had said was impossible.

Customer Reviews:

Poynter's life before, during and after living in a fishbowl - fascinating.......2007-01-05

I found the Jayne Poynter's book to be very interesting both for her personal "lead up" to how she came to be on the Biosphere crew, as well as the drama of the 2 years inside -- all the problems they had, both technically and psychologically.

It's too bad the media spent so much time trying to find out why something might be a "fake" (for lack of a better term) with Biosphere II rather than trying to appreciate the enormous magnitude of the project and it's intent.

As I understand it, Biosphere II sits largely unused today. I certainly hope that a university or two will get involved to keep the facility operating. There's a lot to be learned, and I suspect the majority of the cost is already spent.

Life in hermetically sealed environment was no picnic.......2006-12-06

Many people in 1991 were fascinated by the idea of Biosphere 2, a closed, hermetically sealed, self-sustaining, man-made ecosystem with a desert, an ocean, a rainforest, a savannah, a marsh, a habitat and an intensive farm, all in three acres. On September 26 eight people entered the structure for a two-year stint living "as if on Mars, farming all our food, recycling our water, our waste and even the oxygen we breathed..."

But bad publicity dogged the project even before the team went in. The public grew skeptical, as the Biospherians were dismissed as frauds, cult figures, publicity hounds and charlatans. None of which, strictly speaking, was completely false. Or completely true.

Jane Poynter, who celebrated her 30th birthday in Biosphere 2, and went on to found an aerospace firm with fellow Biospherian (and later husband) Taber MacCallum, attempts to set the record straight with this emotional and wide ranging account.

Poynter was an upper-class English girl who joined the Institute of Ecotechnics at age 20 for travel and adventure - and, no doubt, to escape her parents' conventional expectations. The IE group, headed by charismatic and authoritarian John Allen, were Synergists who believed in a "strict adherence " to three avocations - theater, philosophy and business - to keep themselves in intellectual, emotional and economic balance. This was the group that went on to conceive and build Biosphere 2.

Poynter was an early candidate for the team. Her training included stints on a Ferro-cement research vessel built by IE staffers and an outback ranch in remote Australia populated primarily by large meat-eating ants, plagues of flies, and termites who ate the tires off cars. Lessons in resourcefulness, difficult physical conditions and close, isolated living may have been useful as Poynter says, but nothing could really prepare any of them for the Biosphere experience.

"After thirteen months in Biosphere 2, we were starving, suffocating and going quite mad."

Inadequate food had plagued them from the start. In part this goes back to the cult-like group dynamic.

The Biospherian candidates worked on design and construction of Biosphere 2 (earth being Biosphere 1), and were shifted to different tasks in order to have well-rounded experience. In practice, shifts were sometimes made to punish a staffer for disloyalty, i.e., criticism. Criticism was also dealt with in less subtle ways.

Poynter, as agriculture manager, was asked to draw up a report showing that Biosphere 2 could produce all of the food they would need. When she could only arrive at a total of 80 percent she, and two others who sided with her, were fired from the team. Poynter and another woman were taken back three days later without explanation - the third was shunted to some other aspect of the program.

This type of behavior was common and served to keep all of them cowed, off balance, and unwilling to point out snags. When a certain root fungus was cited as a potential problem, John Allen's response was to make the scientist "jump up and down, screaming `pythium, pythium.' " The fungus was indeed a persistent rice-crop killer.

Their second big problem was a steady, unexpected drop in oxygen. For months they did intensive experiments, but the debilitating riddle remained unsolved until an outsider provided a clue in a casual phone call. Serendipity and science working together would seem to give the Synergists' creed of balance a lift.

But the "going mad" part never really got better. Much of Poynter's book focuses on the interpersonal acrimony, which eventually divided them into two groups of four. Difficulties were exacerbated by backbreaking work on inadequate diets in low oxygen, but even when these problems were somewhat alleviated relations stayed poor.

Of course, the manipulation by outside management never got better and it was that that separated them into loyalists and non-loyalists. Poynter was a non-loyalist. When she walked out of Biosphere 2 her time as a Synergist was done too.

But her book seems balanced and open - something of a catharsis. She celebrates the science, such as it was, and laments that more was not done later to study closed-ecosystem reactions. There was one more 6-month group sojourn inside, but the project was too expensive to continue.

Though the two years were arduous she counts them a success - "we had proven that a man-made biosphere can successfully sustain life, including human life, for an extended period of time without inexplicably crashing, or devolving rapidly into green slime." True, but they did need two infusions of oxygen, which would not have been possible in space, and for all their psychological problems they always knew they could walk out at any time.

Naturally many questions remain, particularly about the environmental science. Though the environment was carefully engineered and controlled they still had ceaseless problems with insect pests (including ant intruders from outside) and plant diseases.

Poynter is at her best describing daily life; the "dysfunctional family" they became, the feasts and famines, and the daily grind of work, though you get the feeling she's leaving a lot out to avoid pressing on old wounds. An absorbing, varied and often suspenseful read.

-- Portsmouth Herald

Holds insights for us all........2006-11-06

It's the 15th anniversary of the Biosphere 2 experiment, when eight individuals sealed themselves into a 2-acre desert building to survive without any help from the outside world - and here one crewmember shares what life was like behind the glass. It was designed to be a mini version of Biosphere 1, and was a self-contained ecosystem which could be viewed either as a prototype for a space habitat or a small version of Planet Earth experiences. The author helped design the experiment, lived it, and walked away from it in the end: her account holds insights for us all.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Amazing Book, captivating, interesting, well told........2006-10-20

Jane Poynter gives a very honest story of her involvement in the group that conceived and built the Biosphere 2, where she came from and where the group was coming from.

Jane obviously knows her Biospherics, the book has Bibliography and Index for easy reference like a scientific paper, the Science almost reads like a hard techno-thriller, Low Oxygen, Failing Power, Constant food shortage.
This combined with the tensions between the people inside and outside of the biosphere makes a very intense story, where the reader gets drawn into the drama and emotional stress.

That the story is real, and told by one of the participants is astounding.
"No-one can make this up"

Written in 2005 Jane Poynter has the distance to the events to make the story balanced, it is not one sided, she objectively describes the events, and tries to make an objective assessment of her own feelings at the time.

The book is not a personal vendetta against other people in the Biosphere 2 project.

Overall a 5 star book

The inside story of the Biosphere 2.......2006-09-27

First, I am not a professional reviewer or writer. I am an like everyone else who likes to read a good book.

I liked this book for a few good reasons. It was easy to read and follow. I didn't get tired from reading it. At times I would get so engrossed in reading it that time would seem to fly by.

This book gives you the inside story of the Biosphere 2 experiment. It tells about the relationships of the people involved and some of the History leading up to the experiment. It even gives you a bit of the science behind the Biosphere told in a way that a non technical person can understand. It tells about the fun times and some of the bad times even some of the funny times. It is certainly not a dry read. I think that Jane Poynter did a good job writing this book. It certainly answers some of the questions raised in the past about the Biosphere 2 experiment. It is a good read, I recommend it. I own it, I am going to keep it and I look forward to reading it again.

Standard Soil Methods for Long-Term Ecological Research (Long-Term Ecological Research Network Series, 2)

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Good source for general protocols

Standard Soil Methods for Long-Term Ecological Research (Long-Term Ecological Research Network Series, 2)

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195120833

Book Description

Standardized methods and measurements are crucial for ecological research, particularly in long-term ecological studies where the projects are by nature collaborative and where it can be difficult to distinguish signs of environmental change from the effects of differing methodologies. This second volume in the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network Series addresses these issues directly by providing a comprehensive standardized set of protocols for measuring soil properties. The goal of the volume is to facilitate cross-site synthesis and evaluation of ecosystem processes. Chapters cover methods for studying physical and chemical properties of soils, soil biological properties, and soil organisms, and they include work from many leaders in the field. The book is the first broadly based compendium of standardized soil measurement methods and will be an invaluable resource for ecologists, agronomists, and soil scientists.

Customer Reviews:

Good source for general protocols.......2005-09-07

This seems to be a good source of information and protocols for methods of soil analyses. It provides helpful information and methods for physical, chemical, microbiological, and decomposition studies. It should be useful to soil scientists and others interested in soil processes. As a physiological ecologist, I found it to be a good starting point for working out sampling and analysis protocols for one new to field.

Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Volume 2 Scenarios: Findings of the Scenarios Working Group (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Series)

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Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Volume 2 Scenarios: Findings of the Scenarios Working Group (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Series)
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Manufacturer: Island Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Research | Education | Reference | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1559633913

Book Description

Scenarios are an invaluable tool for analyzing complex systems and understanding possible outcomes. This second volume of the MA series explores the implications of four different approaches for managing ecosystem services in the face of growing human demand for them:

The Global Orchestration approach, in which we emphasize equity, economic growth, and public goods, reacting to ecosystem problems when they reach critical stages.

Order from Strength, which emphasizes security and economic growth.

Adapting Mosaic, which emphasizes proactive management of ecosystems, local adaptation, and flexible governance.

TechnoGarden, a globalized approach with an emphasis on green technology and a proactive approach to managing ecosystems.

The Scenarios volume will help decision-makers and managers identify development paths that better maintain the resilience of ecosystems, and can reduce the risk of damage to human well-being and the environment.

Life Under Glass: The Inside Story of Biosphere 2

Average customer rating:

Fascinating project
Informative, entertaining, whitewashed
So you wanna be a Biospherian?
A healthier life is possible for both people and Earth
Compelling and interesting

Life Under Glass: The Inside Story of Biosphere 2
Abigail Alling , Mark Nelson , and Sally Silverstone
Manufacturer: Biosphere Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1882428072

Book Description

Planet in a bottle. Eden revisited. Laboratory under glass. The largest self-sustaining closed ecological system ever made. Biosphere 2 is many things to many people. From its half-acre farm to its

coral reef to its emerald forest- this unique research facility has proven itself a marvel of human engineering and a testament to the human imagination. For two years, four men and four women lived and worked inside the structure, recycling their air, water, food and wastes and setting a world record for living in an isolated environment. But what has this giant glass-and-steel greenhouse been to those most intimately involved with it? What has it meant to the first crew who studied and cared for it? What was it really like sealed inside a giant laboratory for twenty-four months? In Life Under Glass crew members Abigail Alling and Mark Nelson with co-captain Sally Silverstone present the full account of those two remarkable years. From the struggles of growing their own food, to learning how to help sustain their life-giving atmosphere, the general reader is offered a rare glimpse into how a group of dedicated researchers managed to surprise the world and fulfill their dream. Other crews may come and go, but no one else will face the risks, the uncertainties, and the challenges that this new breed of explorers did on Biosphere 2's maiden voyage. Here is the fascinating story of how it all appeared- living under glass.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating project.......2007-01-10

This book was particularly fascinating to me as we had just visited the site in Arizona. I was somewhat disappointed that there was not more information on the personalities,, relationships and individual reactions and interactions of the persons in the experiment. I realize that they agreed not to publish that information, but from the standpoint of a mental health professional, I would have been most interested in that aspect of the project.

Informative, entertaining, whitewashed.......2006-01-17

This is a detailed though rather one-sided description of the grandest terrarium experiment in history. It is a hopeful, upbeat, seemingly complete and satisfying account of daily life inside Biosphere 2. Color photos show the the facility's interior and exterior, not to mention the smiling crew of eight, both in their normal work clothes and the "Star Trek" uniforms they wore for publicity photos. The book articulately describes the hopes that drove Biosphere 2, how it was built, and some of the challenges the crew faced during their 2-year closure.

But the book is not complete. It was written by two of the four crew members who were loyal to project co-founder John Allen. The division between the loyalists and the remaining four became significant during the oxygen crisis they experienced three months into the experiment. By many accounts, communication between the two factions has been strained to nonexistent ever since. Hopefully a forthcoming book, The Human Experiment: My Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2, by Jane Poynter (from the other faction) will shed some light on this.

The press and scientific community have been hard on the entire project, especially the pro-Allen faction. I would have liked to read something about this conflict from their point of view. But Life Under Glass dodges it entirely, opting instead to present an informative if somewhat sanitized read.

So you wanna be a Biospherian?.......2004-12-22

Having first read "Biosphere 2: The Human Experiment" by John Allen, I came away with the technical side of its workings with only a brief look at the actual participants themselves and the going-on inside the 'dome. I searched out this book to gain a more personal aspect as to what it was like to live in isolation from the outside world with several other great scientists and have to deal with the fact that your very survival inside this pseudo-spaceship would depend utterly upon fragile human relationships and teamwork. The author is very good at describing a typical workday inside B2 and also describes the many personalities, quirks and eccentricities that made the people around her all so human. This is a book about the PEOPLE and not just a focus on the technology, and that's exactly what I found to be most interesting. What B2 fan hasn't wondered if they themselves could have managed inside for a year if given the chance? After reading this book, I realized I didn't have the "right stuff" to be a biosperian and probably would have been banging on the airlock to get out after a week. If you want to know what it was like to live in there, then read it from the people who lived it..the authors themselves. Very enlightening and recommended.

A healthier life is possible for both people and Earth.......2003-09-21

I have always been interested in the functioning of small closed ecosystems. Biosphere2 has been the largest and longest-running example of one that actually included humans! A mixture of nature and technology, the concept behind the Biosphere2's original experiment is fascinating: whether humans can survive and thrive in a sealed enclosure while producing no waste, and recycling everything including air and water. Despite the eventual fate of this facility (it is now run as an open system lab by the U. of Columbia), the original experiment remains valuable as an idealistic example of what is possible in how we choose to live life on Earth.

The book is well written and delves into every issue faced by the Biospherians in their two-year voyage from mundane everyday work (and partying) to the basics of the science of a closed ecosystem (carbon cycles, depleted oxygen, etc.). However, I found it a bit too self-promoting. Published by the "Biosphere Press", the book is also an effort to sell the Biosphere's concept without delving too much into the difficulties of its appplication. Regardless, I wish a similar project (perhaps modified and improved based on lessons learned) was continued on a permanent basis.

Compelling and interesting.......2001-06-22

An excellent inside view of what it was like for 8 people to live inside the Biosphere 2 for two years. This book sparked my interest in leading a healthier life, and in trying to live with as little impact on the Earth as possible. When you consider what terrible impact any outside toxins (e.g. pesticides) would have had inside Biosphere 2, you have to wonder what effects the toxins are having on us, out here in Biosphere 1 (Earth). Definitely a well-written book; a good read; very compelling.

Principles of Population Dynamics and Their Application

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Principles of Population Dynamics and Their Application
A A BERRYMAN
Manufacturer: Garland Science
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Population Biology | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0748740155

Book Description

Provides an introduction to population dynamics, exploring rules that govern change in any dynamic system and applying these general principles to populations of living organisms. The text is jargon-free and overcomes the controversy that surrounds this subject.

My Very First Encyclopedia with Winnie the Pooh and Friends (Disney Learning)

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My Very First Encyclopedia with Winnie the Pooh and Friends (Disney Learning)
Thea Feldman
Manufacturer: Disney Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786834072
Release Date: 2006-08-01

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Biosphere 2: The Human Experiment
John L. Allen
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140153926

Title: Genetics, Diversity, and the Biosphere/Cassettes : Genetics, Diversity, and the Biosphere/2 Cassettes (Biology-On-Tape)

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Title: Genetics, Diversity, and the Biosphere/Cassettes : Genetics, Diversity, and the Biosphere/2 Cassettes (Biology-On-Tape)
Denson K. McLain
Manufacturer: Audiotext
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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Accessories:

Sony WMFX479 Walkman

ASIN: 1884612024

Product Description

GENETICS, DIVERSITY AND THE BIOSPHERE is a comprehensive study guide, at the introductory college level, on three CDs. Within each section, key words and concepts are introduced, discussed,and then reviewed prior to moving on. Topics included: DNA Strucutre; Mitosis; Meiosis; Mendelian Genetics; Population Genetics; Recombinant DNA Technology; Darwin; Natural Selection; Fitness & Adaptation; Modes of Speciation; Punctuated Equilibrium; Kingdoms & Phyla; Levels of Classification; Cladistics; Human Ancestry; Communities; Population Regulation; Global Climates; Net Primary Productivity; and Ecosystems. The audio format allows students to make the most of their time by giving them the freedom to study by listening.