Pushpinder's ART blog: Jul 12, 2011

Dorion Sagan Paperback 1990 Biospheres: reproducing Planet Earth (McGraw-Hill Publishing, ISBN 0-553-28883-0) over the planet's life support system offers a unique vision. It is also the dominant feature of life on Earth has challenged the traditional view of humanity.

Perhaps that is not less than the astronomer Carl Sagan and biologist Lynn Margulis, whose unorthodox view of evolutionary biology sees life forms to merge the new production should be expected from children. Sagan young well culture, development, science and philosophy is known as a writer of books.

Biosphere 2 to Ecospheres

In addition to the book more interesting features that unexpected economic and technological landscape features of the believers are still existing institutions are mentioned.

For example, Tucson Ecospheres Associates in Arizona, manufactures and sells sealed glass balls green algae, other micro-biota, and a symbiotic community that illustrates the principle of closed life support in the water is full of small shrimp. Sagan is an example of what it calls "permanent recycling systems." EcoSpheres called, they come in a variety of sizes, 9 inches by 4 inches in diameter, the value of small kitchen appliances, and up to a year of "replacement period" is. With care, they can last for many years. EcoSpheres a NASA spin-off, off U.S. experiments, the first product to ecosystems, are ultimately to humans in space habitats.

"Bioshelters", individuals, families and small groups mundane biospheres, gone but not forgotten was a product of the New Alchemy Institute (1969-1991). Apollo 11 and 2 between the biosphere, New Alchemy many bioshelters the Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Prince Edward Island (Eastern Quebec), and other places "arks" is said to be built. Hatchville the Green Center, MA New Alchemy preserves heritage information.

Ocean Arcs International, the same people who brought you bioshelters established by the self-described vessels built oceangoing Biospheres..

Biosphere 2, 35 miles north of Tucson, Biospheres was nearing completion just as the book was taking shape. Site of southern Arizona has become the most famous technological wonder. 77 Highway and the Santa Catalina Mountains in terms of ordinary built environment, situated among the red rocks, it is said that the ruby a summer evening under the Arizona sun, visual cues are all resident. A miniature ocean, rain forest, desert, savanna, and marshland around the human habitat, Library Tower 2 biosphere of the Earth 3.14 acres under glass. The University of Arizona since 2007 a research station and a ten-year $ 30 million grant from Philecology Foundation as the educational outreach project is operated.

Of Mice and Men

But the book is a downside. Its core philosophy environmentalism, which is worthy of suspicion because of their tendency to disgrace humanity. Sagan at risk for this as well, a fairly consistent antihuman drumbeat put off that easily facilitates the display of his little book.

Every human being, says Sagan, both a multi-species combination is a unit of a larger organism. Typical Homo sapiens' inhabited by the surface of bacteria is a microbiological community, fungus, round worms, pin worms, etc. Our courage bacteria, yeasts, and other microorganisms are densely packed tubes. The offense, Lovelockian view of Gaia, Mother Earth, which Sagan describes sympathetically add human features such as single components. It's about creating an all dirt and non-human DNA decided to leave behind, and vigorously enough to make the artificial world, to prove that we can do. Except that we, as anyone who shows their digestive forest can not upset the balance soon.

Really, though, there is something disturbing about the idea, here is found that the Gaia hypothesis is the basis of some new green theocracy. Green power is what the priests of religion, and what ends? Assigned to us as individuals in philosophy Lovelockian Sagan value it maps to find some signs: people are no results. Negligible number of the large amounts of biomass, and the need to accommodate those numbers. We all pass through of view, best left undescribed in the reproduction of the original biosphere can be midwives, creating space for life different cocoons, or maybe not. Well there, Sagan's vision loses clarity. He thinks that maybe we just have to build protective pod from her dying body to shield the offspring of Mother Earth. All right. It's a little strange. In addition, their reproductive proclivities of the men's enough bashing. I would like people in theory at least.

Sagan says that like all of us, and not just in theory. We have them so that we individual humans are made of the way our body cells are ready to be built like superorganism. Superorganism "tumor" in the wildly from reproducing these cells to prevent, Sagan believes that infanticide and abortion as we adapt to new cultural norms, will also probably a small crime and sexual perversion. Before too long, the effects of congestion by way of performing, he works his way around the rodent experiments of Dr. John B. Calhoun. If one takes at face value the results and allows them to estimate the human future, then, as Sagan points out, only serious conclusions are possible.

Sagan will be well to point out that Calhoun not necessarily the best one is the standard interpretation of results. John Calhoun generating mouse "universes" was crowded with time (the ability to reach not more than about 80%). He also was closed from the beginning, made emigration impossible. Population living in the same light with respect to emigration and death. Because they are unable to follow people once they leave a controlled area. However, as a human explorer knows, emigration and death are not the same thing. Calhoun is a more complete interpretation of the results shows a breakout impossible, concluding that mouse populations have failed, but because they were rich because they are stuck in an enclosure.

Explain why such side trips down the rabbit hole disappointing in some ways the book soars instead stumbles.We have 1980's Soviet Bios Program, a five-month independent simulated space travel to Earth for a life support system maintained in the two men take on the thread.

Biospherians

Bios than ten years later, much larger, more capitalist, Biosphere 2 tries to express the theme of Sagan's an important detail. Edward P. 'bass investment decisions (such as Space Biospheres Ventures) is a project, never made it the largest and most complete simulation of the earth. As much as a biological system is a technical object. The basement "technosphere" temperature control system, filtering water, internal pressure balancing, fire fighting, and eight years, including the support of scientific activities "biospherians." Also art, self-portrait of the late twentieth century man. Book, Biosphere 2 is more of a destination than a search. The beads, not so much because what they say, or fail to say or how they say it, but most notably because they raise questions "Who are we?"

Pushpinder's ART blog

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Biospheres: Reproducing Planet Earth

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