Jane Poynter tells the story of The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2.In September 1991, four men and four women sealed themselves inside a miniature replica of Planet Earth called Biosphere 2. They promised to live cut off from the outside world for two years. Nothing would go in or out of their three-acre terrarium - no food, no water, not even air. They would survive on the food they grew, the water they recycled, and the oxygen they created. Now, for the first time, one of those crewmembers tells the inside story of what really happened at the controversial, $250-million project. Some called the experiment a fraud and its proponents a cult. Dr. Jane Goodall calls Poynter's account 'a fantastic adventure into the heart of one of the most innovative experiments of the past 30 years.' Poynter recounts a life inside Biosphere 2 far from the new Eden proponents had envisioned - hunger, sickness, psychological stress, and shattered friendships were common, combined with celebrations and moments of great joy.
When I left Biosphere 2 I was angry and traumatized. I couldn't separate the bad from the good. I couldn't have written this book ten years ago. But there is still so much misinformation circulating about the project, I thought people needed to know the real story - and to understand why Biosphere 2 is of such scientific and cultural importance.