Today we are joined by Dr. Forest Rhower, Dr. Breeann Kirby, and Dr. Ty Roach. Forest, Breeann, and Ty were all on site at Biosphere 2 as facilitators of the Desert Arks Meeting– a meeting where scientists and artists from institutions worldwide gather around a common experiment in coral reef ecology, known as the Coral Reef Arks project. An ark is…

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Ty Roach. Ty is a molecular biologist, freelance scientist, and a decorated competitive surfer and wrestler. Ty is a former Postdoctoral Researcher at Biosphere 2, where he split time between the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology and living on site at Biosphere 2. He has done extensive research in the Biospher…

Today we are joined by Bill Dempster. From 1985 to 1994, Bill Dempster served as the Director of Systems Engineering and chief engineer for Space Biospheres Ventures, the company responsible for designing and building Biosphere 2. As Systems Engineer, Bill was responsible for managing the integrity of Biosphere 2’s atmospheric seal. This role inclu…

In this episode we are joined by Kai Staats. Kai is a veteran developer, designer, filmmaker, and scientist. Kai is the Director of SAM, Space Analog for the Moon and Mars, here at Biosphere 2. SAM is a hi-fidelity, hermetically sealed Mars habitat analog with greenhouse, living quarters, airlock, pressure suits, and a half acre Mars yard. Since 20…

In this episode we are joined by microbial ecologist and climate scientist, Dr. Steve Allison. Dr. Allison is a Professor of Ecology in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at University of California Irvine. He holds a PhD in Biological Sciences from Stanford University and in 2013, Dr. Allison was named an Early Career Fellow of the…

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Dan Killam. Dan is a post- doctoral researcher in the Coral Reef Laboratory here at Biosphere 2. Dan's central research focus is the study of giant clams. His research involves growing giant clams to understand how they embed signatures in their shells that relate to the activity of symbiotic algae in the clams…

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Stuart Sandin. Stuart is the Oliver Chair in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. He is a professor in the Marine Biology Research Division, and he serves as director of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation. Sandin has coordinated multiple ship…

Today we are joined by Dr. Vishnu Reddy. Dr. Reddy is an Associate Professor of Planetary Sciences at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona. Prior to serving as faculty, Vishnu was a research scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson. He is a co-investigator of NASA's Near Earth Camera Mission to discover 90% …

Jeff Orlowski is the director, producer, and cinematographer of the award-winning films Chasing Coral and Chasing Ice. Chasing Coral received the US Documentary Audience Award at Sundance in 2017. Chasing Ice received the Documentary Cinematography award at Sundance in 2012 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Both films w…

In this episode we are joined by marine biologist and invertebrate zoologist Rick Brusca. Rick is Executive Director, Emeritus, of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum where he still conducts research. He is also a Research Scientist at the University of Arizona and the Center of Research for Food and Development in Mexico. Rick is the author of over 2…

In September of 2016, a NASA spacecraft known as OSIRIS REx began its journey to the near Earth asteroid Bennu, an ancient asteroid believed to be a remnant from the dawn of the solar system. Late last year, OSIRIS REx successfully collected and stored a surface sample from Bennu completing one more of several successful mission objectives on its j…

In this episode, we are joined by the Executive Director of Biosphere 2, Dr. Joaquin Ruiz. Joaquin is the Vice President of Global Environmental Futures at the University of Arizona where he was previously the Dean of the College of Science for nearly 20 years. Joaquin is a distinguished Thomas R. Brown chair Professor of Geochemistry in the depart…

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg. Daisy is an artist examining our fraught relationships with nature and technology. Through artworks, writing, and curatorial projects, Daisy’s work explores subjects as diverse as artificial intelligence, exobiology, synthetic biology, conservation, biodiversity, and evolution, as she …

In this episode we are joined by systems ecologist and original Biospherian Dr. Linda Leigh. Linda was one of the eight crew members living inside the closed system here at Biosphere 2 during the first mission. Before her time inside Biosphere 2, Linda worked as the Biome Design Coordinator during the building phase, where she assisted in collectin…

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Melanie Culver & Susan Malusa. Dr. Melanie Culver is a geneticist and an Assistant Professor of Wildlife and Fisheries Science at the University of Arizona School of Natural Resources. She is an Assistant Leader of the USGS Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and her genetic work studies a varie…

In this episode we are joined by Anthropologist turned coffee & mezcal Entrepreneur Doug Smith. Doug is the co-owner of the Exo Roast Company and the El Crisol Mezcal Bar in Tucson, AZ. Doug earned a Ph.D. in Cultural and Social Anthropology from Stanford University, conducting major investigations into agricultural history in several states in Mex…

In this episode we are joined by Oceanographer and Geoscientist, Dr. Joellen Russell. Joellen is Professor and the Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Chair of Integrative Science at the University of Arizona Department of Geosciences. Joellen is the lead for the modeling team of the Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling project (SO…

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Christina Agapakis. Christina is a synthetic biologist, artist, and writer. She is the Creative Director of Gingko Bioworks, a boston based biotech company, and the Executive Editor of Grow Magazine, a magazine focused on the current endeavors, neglected histories, and collective futures in synthetic biology. As…

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Bryan Black. Bryan is an associate professor at the Laboratory of Tree Ring Research at the University of Arizona. In his research, he applies techniques used in dendrochronology, the science of tree rings, to study the hard parts of marine and freshwater species like fish, clams, and corals. Similar to the stud…

In this episode we are joined by Katie Morgan and Dr. Diane Thompson. Katie Morgan is the Manager of Marine Systems and Education Initiatives at Biosphere 2. She oversees the operations of the Biosphere 2 Ocean, assists in developing the vision and project plan for the coral reef research initiative, and keeps the new coral species at Biosphere 2 a…

In this episode, we are joined by Biomedical Animator Drew Berry. Drew creates beautiful, accurate visualizations of the dramatic cellular and molecular action that is going on inside our bodies. Beginning his career as a cell biologist, Drew's raw materials are technical reports, research data and models from scientific journals. As an artist he w…

In this episode we are joined by former Biospherians turned Space Industry Entrepreneurs Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum. Jane and Taber are the Founders and co-CEO's of Space Perspective, a company developing balloon powered human-spaceflight to the Earths stratosphere. Jane & Taber were both members of the Biosphere 2 design team and members of …

In this episode, we are joined by Ben Johnson and Dr. Ben Wilder. Ben Johnson is a Tucson based visual artist and curator whose photo-realistic paintings have been featured in galleries worldwide. Dr. Ben Wilder is a Tucson based botanist & desert ecologist. He is the director of the Tumamoc Hill Desert Laboratory & the Director of the Next Generat…

Today we are joined by infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Kacey Ernst. In this conversation we cover the spread, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases like COVID 19. Dr. Ernst is an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Arizona. Her primary projects examine how ecological and soci…

Each episode we feature in depth interviews with scientists, authors, engineers, entrepreneurs, artists and policy makers exploring the threads between Earth, its living systems, and our place in the Universe. In this interview, John Adams, Deputy Director of Biosphere 2, speaks on the legacy of the Biosphere 2 facility as both an unparalleled Eart…