Biospheres

The idea of man-made, self-sustaining habitats has long appealed to scientists, designers, architects, and ecologists: visions of self-contained units whereby humans can live and work without any input from outside sources has been championed as an opportunity not only to better understand biological and ecological processes here on Earth, but to construct a workable, tested model of what the settlement of inhospitable environments might look like. In this way they are often seen as a retreat, or a safe haven from an outside disaster. They are common in fictional works, often found in undersea environments and in outer space: many works of literature, film, and even video games rely on visions of biospheres to construct their fictional worlds, and frequently use them as the stage on which other human dramas are played out.

See also: Biodiversity and Climate Change

Further Resources

The Eden ProjectBiosphere 2
Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood
Moon, by Duncan Jones (2009)
Bioshock (video game, 2007)