logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2024
49m 16s

Biosphere 2: Out of Oxygen with Alie War...

Wondery
About this episode

Imagine sealing yourself in giant, glass, self-contained ecosystem with your boyfriend and a lady who's learning to play saxophone... for TWO YEARS. In 1991, eight semi-qualified volunteers entered Biosphere 2, and promised that they would live inside the giant science experiment without any help from the outside. However, thanks to chopped off fingers, oxygen-gulping bacteria, rampant cockroaches and Steve Bannon, Biosphere 2 would become one of the biggest scientific flops in history.

Alie Ward (In the Wild, Oologies) and Josh Gondelman (Last Week Tonight, Modern Seinfeld) join Misha for this failed science experiment gone too far.

Listen to The Big Flop on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-big-flop/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Jul 7
American Airlines' Ultimate Travel Scam with Katie Boyle and Erin Jackson | 95
What happens when you give two men unlimited first-class flights for life? American Airlines found out the hard way when their "brilliant" cash-grab turned into a multi-million dollar nightmare, complete with impromptu Paris lunch dates, suspicious companion passes, and an airlin ... Show More
36m 13s
Jun 30
Fitness Product Fails with Angela Giarratana, Jeremy Culhane and Kylie Brakeman | 94
What do you get when you combine Yale graduates, Orange County bros, and Skechers' sketchy ""research""? Three of the most memorable fitness product fails of all time. From David Beckham's magic balance bracelet to Kim Kardashian's Super Bowl shoe commercial, these celebrity-endo ... Show More
53m 52s
Jun 26
Listen Now: Liberty Lost
In Evangelical homes across the United States, sex outside of marriage is a sin against God. So, when Abbi becomes pregnant at 16, her devout parents hide her away at the Liberty Godparent Home, a little-known facility for pregnant teens on the campus of Liberty University. The H ... Show More
5m 44s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2020
What If We Lived in a Closed Biosphere? - with Jane Poynter
In 1991, 8 people walked into the first ever biosphere project, committed to live there, grow their own food, recycle their waste and sustain themselves on limited amounts of oxygen for 2 years. So who better to ask "What If we lived in a closed biosphere than Jane Poynter, one o ... Show More
39m 1s
Jul 2023
94 - Narwhal / Optometrist
On his private space station high above Earth, Professor Burkhead has begun conducting a ground-breaking social experiment. Each week, his “Unifier” pairs together two unlikely creatures and puts them in a room together where the two subjects (an accountant and a giant squid, one ... Show More
17m 23s
Jun 2023
91 - Ostrich / Pilot
On his private space station high above Earth, Professor Burkhead has begun conducting a ground-breaking social experiment. Each week, his “Unifier” pairs together two unlikely creatures and puts them in a room together where the two subjects (an accountant and a giant squid, one ... Show More
17m 21s
Jul 2022
42 - Chameleon / Sports Announcer
On his private space station high above Earth, Professor Burkhead has begun conducting a ground-breaking social experiment. Each week, his “Unifier” pairs together two unlikely creatures and puts them in a room together where the two subjects (an accountant and a giant squid, one ... Show More
17m 4s
Jun 2023
90 - Coyote / Basketball Player
On his private space station high above Earth, Professor Burkhead has begun conducting a ground-breaking social experiment. Each week, his “Unifier” pairs together two unlikely creatures and puts them in a room together where the two subjects (an accountant and a giant squid, one ... Show More
17m 25s
Nov 2022
61 - Goblin Shark / Caricaturist
On his private space station high above Earth, Professor Burkhead has begun conducting a ground-breaking social experiment. Each week, his “Unifier” pairs together two unlikely creatures and puts them in a room together where the two subjects (an accountant and a giant squid, one ... Show More
17m 23s
Jun 2022
40 - Platypus / Meteorologist
On his private space station high above Earth, Professor Burkhead has begun conducting a ground-breaking social experiment. Each week, his “Unifier” pairs together two unlikely creatures and puts them in a room together where the two subjects (an accountant and a giant squid, one ... Show More
17m 17s
Aug 2022
46 - Dolphin / Astronaut
On his private space station high above Earth, Professor Burkhead has begun conducting a ground-breaking social experiment. Each week, his “Unifier” pairs together two unlikely creatures and puts them in a room together where the two subjects (an accountant and a giant squid, one ... Show More
17m 1s