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The detection of moons orbiting extrasolar planets ("exomoons") has now become feasible. Once they are discovered in the circumstellar habitable zone, questions about their habitability will emerge. Exomoons are likely to be tidally locked to their planet and hence experience days much shorter than their orbital period around the star and have seasons, all of which works in favor of habitability.
Biosphere 2 serves as a laboratory for controlled scientific studies, an arena for scientific discovery and discussion, and a far-reaching provider of public education. Its ability to combine varying scales, precise manipulation and fine monitoring together in controlled experiments provides scientists with the unique opportunity to explore complex environmental questions.
In this one-of-a-kind facility, UA researchers are using the Landscape Evolution Observatory, the world’s largest laboratory experiment in earth sciences, to answer questions about how physical and biological processes control the evolution of landscapes and how water flows through the environment. In the simulated rainforest, scientists are studying how plants cope with high temperatures and drought to better understand how climate change may affect forests. Outside, researchers are growing plants beneath solar panels, pairing renewable energy with agriculture as they explore innovative ways to grow nutritious food crops while increasing energy output.
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