Biosphere 2 Podcast

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 alive and thriving. Katie is headed to James Cook University in Australia early next year to continue her journey as a coral reef biologist. Dr. Diane Thompson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona, and the Director of Marine Research at Biosphere 2. Diane's research bridges the fields of ecology, paleoecology, and paleoclimatology. Her research investigates climates and reef systems of the past, and in turn, improves our ability to preserve reef resilience under current and future climate change. Before coming to the University of Arizona, Diane held a two year post doctoral fellowship at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and was an assistant professor at Boston University. In this episode, we dive deep into the Biosphere 2 Ocean project, exploring stories and lessons from the early missions, takeaways from past research campaigns, insights into coral reef biology, and updates on the current campaign of the Biosphere 2 Coral Reef Lab. Dr. Diane Thompson's Lab Website: https://uathompsonlab.com/ Biosphere 2 Main Website Biosphere 2 Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB-dGCnVK2A&t=6s

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 works as a translator, from abstract and complicated scientific concepts into vivid and meaningful visual journeys. Since 1995 he has been a biomedical animator at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia. His animations have been exhibited at venues such as the Guggenheim Museum, Museum of Modern Art, and the Royal Institute of Great Britain. In 2010 he received a MacArthur Fellowship "Genius Grant". In this episode, we dissect Drew's journey as an animator and pull back the veil on the level of detail, research, and technical expertise needed to produce stunning and accurate representations of cellular and molecular processes. Links to Animations mentioned in the Podcast Episode: DNA: https://youtu.be/7Hk9jct2ozY Apoptosis: https://youtu.be/DR80Huxp4y8 Malaria Life-cycle: https://youtu.be/1v55yg0RfoY TED: https://youtu.be/WFCvkkDSfIU Drew Berry YouTube animation playlilst https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD0444BD542B4D7D9 drewberry.com wehi.tv library of animations for download HHMI Biointeractive.org Bjork music video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn8AC8z2adU David Goodsell (Molecular illustrator, my primary inspiration and living deity of visualizing our molecular interior) https://ccsb.scripps.edu/goodsell/ Gael McGill (Harvard Medical School, Biomedical animation tools and tutorials) Clarafi.com Eric Keller (Freelancer, excellent bioemedical animator and teacher for cinema visual effects) https://www.bloopatone.com

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 the original Biosphere 2 crew who lived for two years inside the sealed, self-sustaining habitat. Before Space Perspective, Jane & Taber co-founded World View Enterprises, the Silicon Valley-backed stratosphere balloon technology company. They also co-founded Paragon Space Development Corporation, the Human Life Support Systems company that has produced patented technologies on most human spacecraft today. Jane is the author of The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2. Taber served as Chief Technology & Safety Officer for StratEx, a project that launched Google Executive Alan Eustace to the edge of space under a balloon, breaking the Red Bull Stratos Spacedive record in 2014. In this episode we explore Jane & Taber's experiences as Biospherians and how there experiences inside, paved the way for careers focused on space technologies and shifting human perspectives on our place in the Universe. If you want to hear more about Jane & Taber's Biosphere 2 Experience check out their Biosphere 2 Earth Day Webinar

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 Generation Sonoran Desert Researchers. Ben Johnson and Dr. Ben Wilder have spent the last several years traveling to Sonora, Mexico to study and catalogue one of the Sonoran Desert's most intriguing phenomenon, the Pozos of the Grand Desierto. The pozos are ancient fresh water springs sprinkled mysteriously along the largest expanse of sand dunes in North America. In this conversation, we explore the new scientific findings of the pozos and the artwork that resulted from several seasons of collaboration between our two guests. As the conversation unfolds, we find ourselves unraveling deeper truths about these sites as confluence points of culture, biology, and larger earth systems. Dr. Ben Wilder and Ben Johnson Pozos project website: https://ngen6and6.com/ben-and-ben Link to Hidden Water artwork: https://www.benjohnsonart.com/artwork/hidden-water-pozos-of-the-gran-desierto/ Link to Geoscience Paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/9/9/378

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 Earth Systems research facility and as a stand alone feat in architecture and engineering.