Critics have long contended that the Biosphere II project in the Arizona desert was more showmanship and cultism than science, despite its assertions to the contrary. Allegations of misrepresentation involve a device that removes carbon dioxide from the air and turns it into a solid for storage inside the Biosphere. No experiment would be giving out data to the press."; From the start, when planning for the Biosphere got under way in the mid-1980s, it was billed as a futuristic experiment in closed recycling where plants and animals would provide each other with all the essentials for life. The new study is based on data collected by NASA scientists during their mission to Mars in 1997. A Biosphere spokesman said the group had installed a carbon dioxide remover but called it a minor aid for initial stabilization, adding there was no obligation to disclose all details of work in progress.
Critics have long contended that the Biosphere II project in the Arizona desert was more showmanship and cultism than science, despite its assertions to the contrary. Allegations of misrepresentation involve a device that removes carbon dioxide from the air and turns it into a solid for storage inside the Biosphere. The new study is based on data collected by NASA scientists during their mission to Mars in 1997. A Biosphere spokesman said the group had installed a carbon dioxide remover but called it a minor aid for initial stabilization, adding there was no obligation to disclose all details of work in progress.