Jane Poynter

On September 26, 1991 the doors of Biosphere 2, a hermetically sealed, ecologically engineered environment, closed its doors, sealing in eight brave adventurers for two years. Packed in the 3.15-acre environment was a highly diverse ecosystem, designed to support an autonomous group without intervention from the outside.

Plagued with managerial problems from the onset the tight group of synergists who conceived and built Biosphere 2 suffered from media and scientific criticism. Inside, the biospherians suffered from a lack of food, oxygen and ultimately devolved into a dysfunctional family whose members barely spoke to one another.

Written ten years after she left Biosphere 2, the book tends to focus on the scientific , often glossing over the personal relationships and day-to-day life. Although the novelty of the project is intriguing, the book itself unravels slowly.… (mer)