As a child, I took several road trips. On one of these road trips, I remember stopping at a giant building with all sorts of plants and animals inside. This place is known as Biosphere 2, and is considered the world’s largest earth science experiment. If you live in Arizona, it’s definitely worth checking out, and here is why.
The Vision
Biosphere 2 was built between 1984 and 1991, and it remains one of the most ambitious ecological experiments ever attempted. Located just north of Tucson, Arizona, the Biosphere 2 is home to 7 artificial biomes: an ocean, a rainforest, a desert, Savannah Grasslands, Mangrove Wetlands, an agriculture zone, and a human habitat.
Each biome in the Biosphere 2 was designed to replicate Earth’s habitats on a smaller scale, allowing scientists to manipulate variables that would be impossible to regulate outdoors. There are thousands of windows, and every room has its own individual heating and cooling system.
FUN FACT: Biosphere 2 is referred to as such because Earth is considered the first biosphere…