Biosphere 2 Podcast

In this episode we are joined by microbial ecologist and climate scientist, Dr. Steve Allison. Dr. Allison is a Professor of Ecology in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at University of California Irvine. He holds a PhD in Biological Sciences from Stanford University and in 2013, Dr. Allison was named an Early Career Fellow of the Ecological Society of America.  His research addresses the resilience of microbial communities to drought and climate change in southern California ecosystems. His lab studies how microbes function in ecosystems by using both experiments and mathematical models to predict what might happen to microbes as the climate gets warmer and drier.   Steve talks about micro-biomes, climate change, and how his lab group studies microbial communities in a variety of field sites across California with a focus on climate and drought.    https://allisonlab.bio.uci.edu/

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Dan Killam. Dan is a post- doctoral researcher in the Coral Reef Laboratory here at Biosphere 2. Dan's central research focus is the study of giant clams. His research involves growing giant clams to understand how they embed signatures in their shells that relate to the activity of symbiotic algae in the clams bodies. Prior to Biosphere 2, Dan was a Zuckerman Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Haifa in Israel, where he studied the effects of climate change on bittersweet clams found on the Israeli coast. Dan completed his PhD in Paleobiology at UC Santa Cruz where he studied the ecological and physiological history of bivalves.   In this episode, Dan takes us deep into world of Giant Clam research-- revealing a wide array of fascinating facts about these overshadowed bivalves found within Coral Reefs. Further, Dan tells us why the Biosphere 2 Ocean is a great place to study clams, he explains his past research studying Clams in the Red Sea, and he guides us through the life history and symbiosis of Giant Clams.   https://dantheclamman.blog/

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Stuart Sandin. Stuart is the Oliver Chair in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. He is a professor in the Marine Biology Research Division, and he serves as director of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation.  Sandin has coordinated multiple ship- and land-based expeditions to the remote islands of the central and south Pacific Ocean, with much work conducted in the Line Islands archipelago. He has been using this island gradient and others to study the individual and interacting roles that local human activities and oceanographic context play in the fisheries dynamics and general functioning of coral reef ecosystems. The work in the Pacific has led to the development of the 100 Island Challenge research campaign.   In this episode, Stuart and I discuss what Caribbean reefs used to look like and why they've changed.  Further, we explore how Stuarts Lab is using structure from motion technology to map out reefs systems over time. We broach the topics of self organization, resilience, evolutionary succession, and technology driven ecological research.   Learn more about this project at 100IslandChallenge.org. https://sandinlab.ucsd.edu/

Today we are joined by Dr. Vishnu Reddy. Dr. Reddy is an Associate Professor of Planetary Sciences at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona. Prior to serving as faculty, Vishnu was a research scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson. He is a co-investigator of NASA's Near Earth Camera Mission to discover 90% of Near Earth Objects larger than 140M. In addition to his work with NASA, Vishnu is part of the space- situational awareness program at UArizona where he has developed a network of small optical sensors to characterize orbital debris and active resident space objects for the US Air Force Research Laboratory. Dr. Reddy’s research focuses on understanding the behavior of space  objects (both natural and artificial) using a range of Earth and space-based assets.   In this episode, Dr. Reddy shares his amazing and unorthodox journey of becoming a planetary scientist. We discuss in-depth the threats that near earth objects like asteroids and comets pose to our society, and revisit catastrophic and regional impact events from the past. Dr. Reddy discusses his current research and the changes in congressional support for asteroid research in more recent years. Vishnu's passion for planetary science and teaching is palpable, and I hope you enjoy this episode.

Jeff Orlowski is the director, producer, and cinematographer of the award-winning films Chasing Coral and Chasing Ice. Chasing Coral received the US Documentary Audience Award at Sundance in 2017. Chasing Ice received the Documentary Cinematography award at Sundance in 2012 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Both films were shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Documentary, screened at Congress and the United Nations, and have garnered awards and accolades from film festivals around the globe. Jeff founded Exposure Labs, a production company dedicated to impact through film. His latest film, The Social Dilemma, had its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.   In this episode, Jeff takes us through his rich journey as a filmmaker, negotiator, and a change-maker. He sheds light on the challenges and triumphs of documenting massive and often invisible, global environmental and social challenges unfolding in our world today.   www.exposurelabs.com https://www.chasingcoral.com/ https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/  

In this episode we are joined by marine biologist and invertebrate zoologist Rick Brusca. Rick is Executive Director, Emeritus, of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum where he still conducts research. He is also a Research Scientist at the University of Arizona and the Center of Research for Food and Development in Mexico.  Rick is the author of over 200 research publications and 20 books, including the largest-selling text on invertebrate zoology (Invertebrates 3rd ed., ) and the popular field guides Common Intertidal Invertebrates of the Gulf of California and A Natural History of the Santa Catalina Mountains. As a scientist, Rick’s areas of greatest interest is the Sea of Cortez and the Sonoran Desert.   In this episode we dive deep into the Gulf of California also known as the Sea of Cortez. Starting with the famed travels of Ed Ricketts and John Steinbeck on the Western Flyer, our conversation ranges from the the Gulf of California's geologic formation and biodiversity, to its conservation challenges and weirdest creatures. Additionally Rick gazes inwardly as an author and invertebrate zoologist and describes highlights from his own career and how the field is changing.   https://www.rickbrusca.com/http___www.rickbrusca.com_index.html/Cool_Inverts.html https://www.westernflyer.org/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/tongue-eating-fish-parasites-never-cease-to-amaze

In September of 2016, a NASA spacecraft known as OSIRIS REx began its journey to the near Earth asteroid Bennu, an ancient asteroid believed to be a remnant from the dawn of the solar system. Late last year, OSIRIS REx successfully collected and stored a  surface sample from Bennu completing one more of several  successful mission objectives on its journey. In this episode we are joined by Heather Enos, the Deputy Principal Investigator for the OSIRIS REx mission. Heather Enos has a long history in project management with University of Arizona space missions.  Before OSIRIS REx, she was previously Project Manager for the 2001 Mars Odyssey Gamma Ray Spectrometer team as well as the Project Manager for the 2007 Phoenix Thermal Evolve Gas Analyzer.   In this discussion Heather speaks to some of the OSIRIS REx missions greatest challenges and how her team adapted and responded on the fly. Heather talks about why her science team is interested in Bennu and we get first hand insight into what it takes to lead large interdisciplinary teams on NASA Missions. Before listening to this talk, I encourage you to follow some of the links in the description, particularly the video of the OSIRIS REx Tagsam sample collection. And now, here is Heather Enos.   https://www.asteroidmission.org/galleries/

In this episode, we are joined by the Executive Director of Biosphere 2, Dr. Joaquin Ruiz. Joaquin is the Vice President of Global Environmental Futures at the University of Arizona where he was previously the Dean of the College of Science for nearly 20 years. Joaquin is a distinguished  Thomas R. Brown chair Professor of Geochemistry in the department of Geosciences. He is a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences and was named a National Researcher by the Mexican government in 2010. In 2018, the Mexican Secretary of State named Dr. Ruiz one of forty distinguished Mexican citizens living abroad who have brought distinction to the country. As a scientist with equal abilities in chemistry and in geology, Dr. Ruiz has addressed many first-order problems in the Earth Sciences, such as the development of new isotope systems for studying ore deposits and the tectonic processes involved in the growth and evolution of Mexico. His research teams address problems ranging from the origins of life to present-day climate change.   In this episode, we discuss Joaquin's origins as a scientist, his career in geochemistry, and the legacy and impact of Biosphere 2 as in Icon of Possibilities in Global Climate Change Solutions.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg. Daisy is an artist examining our fraught relationships with nature and technology. Through  artworks, writing, and curatorial projects, Daisy’s work explores  subjects as diverse as artificial intelligence, exobiology, synthetic  biology, conservation, biodiversity, and evolution, as she investigates  the human impulse to “better” the world.    Daisy has spent over ten  years experimentally engaging with the field of synthetic biology,  developing new roles for artists and designers. She is lead author of Synthetic Aesthetics: Investigating Synthetic Biology’s Designs on Nature (MIT Press, 2014), and in 2017 completed Better,  her PhD by practice, at London’s Royal College of Art (RCA),  interrogating how powerful dreams of “better” futures shape the things  that get designed. Daisy studied architecture at the University of Cambridge, was a visiting scholar at Harvard University, and received her MA in Design Interactions from the Royal College of Art.    Daisy won the World Technology Award  for design in 2011, the London Design Medal for Emerging Talent in 2012,  and the Dezeen Changemaker Award 2019. Her work has twice been  nominated for Designs of the Year (2011, 2015). Daisy exhibits  internationally, including at MoMA New York, the Museum of Contemporary  Art, Tokyo, the National Museum of China, and the  Royal Academy. Daisy is a resident at  Somerset House Studios in London, and is working on a major new commission for the Eden Project for 2021.   I highly encourage you to check out Daisy's website linked in the show notes BEFORE listening to the podcast. We refer to a number of her works by title, and do our best to describe each project in depth for our listeners, but her work is best appreciated through the visual medium.   https://www.daisyginsberg.com/work   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEeBeEfGoYU&t=3893s

In this episode we are joined by systems ecologist and original Biospherian Dr. Linda Leigh. Linda was one of the eight crew members living inside the closed system here at Biosphere 2 during the first mission. Before her time inside Biosphere 2, Linda worked as the Biome Design Coordinator during the building phase, where she assisted in collecting plant species from around the world that would be added to the Biosphere 2 biomes like the Tropical Rain Forest, Fog Desert, and Savannah. Following Biosphere 2, Linda went on to study with systems ecologist H.T. Odum, where she deepened her expertise in ecological systems. Linda is now the co-owner of the Vermillion Wormery and the Oracle Community Garden, right here in Oracle, AZ.   In this episode, we learn about Linda's early years, how she joined the Biosphere 2 team, and how she and a group of science specialists came together to design and build entire ecosystems. Linda shares her own experiences and challenges from life on the inside of Biosphere 2 and shares with us how Biosphere 2 has had an impact on the rest of her life.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Melanie Culver & Susan Malusa. Dr. Melanie Culver is a geneticist and an Assistant Professor of Wildlife and Fisheries Science at the University of Arizona School of Natural Resources. She is an Assistant Leader of the USGS Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and her genetic work studies a variety of species including jaguars, pumas, black bears, bighorn sheep, raptors, herps, and freshwater mussels, among others.   Susan Malusa is a Research Specialist for the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona. She is the co-coordinator (along with Melanie) of the UA (Citizen Science) Jaguar and Ocelot Monitoring Program. Her specialty is biogeography and data science.   From 2011 to 2015, Melanie and Sue led an extensive Jaguar and Ocelot field monitoring campaign in the borderlands of Arizona. Since then, the monitoring project has transitioned into a citizen science  Monitoring Program, which continues to actively collect field data across southern Arizona, recording not only Jaguar and Ocelot data, but other rare species seldom seen across the southwest. In this conversation, Melanie and Sue, share their insights  and expertise on the Arizona Jaguars and other big Felids of the Southwest.   wildcatresearch.arizona.edu   Jaguar Photo Captures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfws_southwest/albums/72157632294203147

In this episode we are joined by Anthropologist turned coffee & mezcal Entrepreneur Doug Smith. Doug is the co-owner of the Exo Roast Company and the El Crisol Mezcal Bar in Tucson, AZ. Doug earned a Ph.D. in Cultural and Social Anthropology from Stanford  University, conducting major investigations into agricultural history in  several states in Mexico. He taught Anthropology for ten years in several universities, finishing as an Associate Professor at Western  Oregon University before returning to Arizona in 2008 to begin Exo’s coffee roastery.   Doug's first experience with mezcal, during a fiesta patronal in a village in Guerrero, initiated a long engagement with cultures of agave. Many research trips to Sonora have put Doug into contact and relationship with Bacanora producers in the Rio Sonora and Rio Moctezuma  valleys. His current interest is to explore agave cultures in Arizona-Sonora and  reestablish  relationships between people and the plant. El Crisol mezcaleria, which opened in 2017, aims not only to introduce guests to mezcal, but to educate people on the spirit, its production, and its  cultural history. Additionally, Doug serves on the board of Native Seed Search and the Borderlands Restoration Network, working on conservation and community building initiatives throughout the greater Arizona/Sonora region.   https://www.exocoffee.com/   https://www.borderlandsrestoration.org/

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Christina Agapakis. Christina is a synthetic biologist, artist, and writer. She is the Creative Director of Gingko Bioworks, a boston based biotech company, and the Executive Editor of Grow Magazine, a magazine focused on  the current endeavors, neglected histories, and collective futures in synthetic biology.    As creative director, Christina engages with people, policies, and potential futures involved in synthetic biology, working for more open, equitable, and renewable technologies.   In the lab, Christina has worked on enzymes involved in the production of biofuels, ecological design principles for synthetic biology, and the evolution of microbial communities in the soil. As an artist, she's mapped the microbial diversity of California, isolated halophilic bacteria from the Salton Sea, and made cheese from bacteria living on human skin.   https://www.agapakis.com/   https://www.growbyginkgo.com/   https://www.ted.com/talks/christina_agapakis_what_happens_when_biology_becomes_technology

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Bryan Black. Bryan is an associate professor at the Laboratory of Tree Ring Research at the University of Arizona. In his research, he applies techniques used in dendrochronology, the science of tree rings, to study the hard parts of marine and freshwater species like fish, clams, and corals. Similar to the study of tree rings, the patterns analyzed within select marine species, can be used for studying species productivity, age, and their relationships to climate throughout history.   Bryan combines these data from across different species to describe linkages among marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems AND to generate multi-millennial climate histories.   Originally trained as a forest ecologist, Bryan also maintains interests in developing histories of forest disturbance and natural hazards including large landslides and earthquakes from the past.   https://ltrr.arizona.edu/person/bryan-black   https://ltrr.arizona.edu/about/treerings

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