A Memoir by the Inventor of Biosphere 2
Winner of the 2009 Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Biography/Memoir, Me and the Biospheres is the remarkable autobiography of John P. Allen, visionary thinker, ecological pioneer, and creator of Biosphere 2—one of the most ambitious ecological experiments ever undertaken.
Biosphere 2 was a three-acre, sealed glass-and-steel research facility built in the Arizona desert. Designed to replicate Earth’s living systems, it contained seven interconnected biomes, including an ocean with a coral reef, rainforest, savannah, desert, marsh, agricultural areas, and a human habitat. Between 1991 and 1993, eight crew members lived inside the structure for two years, conducting groundbreaking research on closed ecological systems, human-environment interactions, and life-support technologies for future space exploration.
Written with humor, insight, and a deep appreciation for both nature and human creativity, Me and the Biospheres celebrates the spirit of exploration, innovation, and resilience. It is both a personal journey and an inspiring invitation to rediscover and care for our extraordinary home, Biosphere 1, Planet Earth.