Oft-Criticized Biosphere 2 Praised on 10th Anniversary

ORACLE, Ariz. —  A miniature self-contained world in which eight researchers were sealed for two years was praised as an “indispensable prototype” as it became 10 years old Wednesday.

Often criticized for its science in its early days and a failure during the experiment in which it was to sustain the eight without help, Biosphere 2 now is seen as “one of the most significant private-sponsored research advances we’ve ever had,” said its president, Barry Osmond.

The 3.15-acre glass-and-steel dome, about 35 miles northeast of Tucson, was the brainchild of Texas multi-billionaire Ed Bass, who later played a key role in removing its original administrators.

Conceived as a prototype for a space colony and built at a cost of $200 million to study global ecology, the closed ecological preserve contained miniatures of Earth’s rain forest, ocean, savanna, desert and other ecological systems.

It now is a center for environmental and global science under the direction of Columbia University, which took over in 1996. It serves about 350 students.