Deep in the Arizona desert, there's an enormous glass terrarium where a miniature replica of earth's ecosystem lives called Biosphere 2. Its conception began at a countercultural commune, where an innovative group of artists, adventurers, and ecologists, forged an alliance with a Texas oil scion to create Biosphere 2 as a pilot for Mars colonization. They also hoped that their project would be a model for sustainable living on earth - also known as Biosphere 1. In 1991 their spectacular project became a media sensation, when eight 'biospherians' went to live hermetically sealed under the glass dome for two years. However, shortly after their mission began, the biospherians contended with ecological calamities - from food shortages to oxygen deprivation - and quickly the media's fanfare turned to scorn. Cult accusations surfaced about the project's management, and Biosphere 2 was labeled science fiction, instead of credible science. Despite these tribulations, the biospherians completed their mission, coalescing to cooperatively manage their impact on a model environment. That is until their miniature world was taken over. This is an epic story, spanning half a century, about the forces that threaten our planet, but also the power of small groups to literally reimagine the world.
