Colonization of the planets and the fight against climate change: Ukrainian works in a unique laboratory in the USA

Ocean with coral reefs, swamps, rainforest, steppe and desert under a glass dome. In Arizona, almost 30 years ago, the Earth’s biosphere was recreated. The project was conceived as a study of the possibilities of colonization of other planets. This is stated in the video "Voices of America".

Фото: Depositphotos

They conducted an experiment on the autonomous life of a group of people for 2 years. Today it is a scientific laboratory of unprecedented proportions, where scientists are looking for ways to clean the Earth from carbon dioxide.

Ukrainian scientists are at the forefront of these studies. Not far from the city of Tucson there is a unique scientific laboratory - “Biosphere-2”. These are 7 hermetic rooms, with an area of ​​1,5 hectares, with a volume of more than 200 square meters, in which the Earth's ecosystems are recreated.

Together with a group of scientists, a doctor of sciences from Kiev, Ekaterina Dontsova, has been working at this facility for 11 years.

“When I arrived, I didn’t know why it was called “Biosphere-2,” I thought that somewhere else another “Biosphere 1” had been built, then I found out that Biosphere 1 is our Earth,” says Dontsova.

Фото: Depositphotos

The doctrine of the biosphere was created by the first president of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Vladimir Vernadsky. It was he who described the biosphere as the Earth’s shell inhabited by living organisms.

“If I talk to one of the tourists or visitors, then I always tell them about Vernadsky. Scientists usually know about Vernadsky because he is the founder of this science. His works are very famous, and his legacy is what makes modern experiments possible,” says the Ukrainian.

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In the mid-80s, the American billionaire Edward Bass had the idea to recreate the Earth’s biosphere in a confined space. In 1987, the construction of a unique facility began, which lasted 4 years. With his help, Bass wanted to find a way to colonize other planets.

“The idea was that everything could function independently and could be transferred to any planet. Build there and support people’s lives through the functioning of these ecosystems,” says Ekaterina.

Фото: Depositphotos

In 1991, the first experiment was launched at Biosphere-2 - for 2 years, 4 women and 4 men lived in a completely isolated laboratory, communicating with the world only through a computer and telephone.

However, not everything worked as planned and it was very difficult to fully provide themselves with products, and over time an even bigger problem arose.

“They discovered that they were not getting enough oxygen to survive,” says the Ukrainian woman.

Microbes in the soil produced carbon dioxide faster than young plants managed to produce oxygen. After 16 months, oxygen had to be pumped into the biosphere from the outside, the study was completed according to plan. After 2 years, all the inhabitants of the biosphere left the laboratory in excellent physical condition.

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However, the scientific community questioned the feasibility of such an experiment and abandoned the idea of ​​autonomous life.

In 2007, the University of Arizona took over the management of Biosphere-2; the laboratory conducts research on Earth processes, trains students, and draws attention to environmental problems.

“We are interested in the tropical forest because it absorbs a lot of carbon, we are trying to understand how the forest accumulates carbon in its ecosystem and how this process is affected by environmental changes - increasing temperature and decreasing humidity,” says center employee Joost Van Garen .

Фото: Depositphotos

Scientists are trying to understand how to use nature itself to cleanse the atmosphere of carbon dioxide. Ekaterina Dontsova’s site is dirt slopes. They, like tropical forests, can absorb harmful gas.

“When we weather, carbon dioxide reacts with water, and then that water reacts with minerals in the soil, and when this happens, carbonate is formed. This is a very good mechanism that can be used to remove carbon dioxide from the air,” says Ekaterina.

By studying these processes, scientists will be able to understand how to combat global warming. Biosphere 2 is the only laboratory in the world where it is possible to study ecosystems on a large scale. And although at first the “Biosphere” was supposed to save people in space, now, scientists hope, it will be able to save people on Earth and restore the natural balance that Academician Vernadsky described.

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