and I'll bet you $5 you'll come out with two kids,' " said Larry Springfield, 45, a locksmith on the project and manager of Maria's, an Oracle saloon. " After years of preparation, four men and four women Thursday shut the door on the world they hope to aid and began two years of ecological research in Biosphere II, an airtight, three-acre structure of glass and steel that has stirred controversy as well as awe. The experiment is a microcosm for how humans can live sustainably with nature, said David Suzuki, Canada's environmental minister. They will recycle their air, water and waste, and live off a half-acre of land and plants grown in tanks of water fused with nutrients, seeking possibilities of living in artificial atmospheres in outer space.
After years of preparation, four men and four women Thursday shut the door on the world they hope to aid and began two years of ecological research in Biosphere II, an airtight, three-acre structure of glass and steel that has stirred controversy as well as awe. The experiment is a microcosm for how humans can live sustainably with nature, said David Suzuki, Canada's environmental minister. They will recycle their air, water and waste, and live off a half-acre of land and plants grown in tanks of water fused with nutrients, seeking possibilities of living in artificial atmospheres in outer space.