Nation IN BRIEF : ARIZONA : Biosphere in Science Pact With Columbia

The troubled Biosphere program is forming a partnership with Columbia University to select and execute scientific experiments in the high-tech glass-domed enclosure in Oracle, Ariz., officials for both said. A scientific team with officials from Biosphere 2 and Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory will jointly review and select research proposals for the three-acre complex 35 miles northeast of Tucson. “Our new focus at Biosphere 2 is to give complete access to the world’s scientists investigating the difficult issues in the management of Earth’s resources and the planning for Earth’s future,” said Stephen Bannon, acting chief executive officer for Space Biosphere Ventures, the parent company of the Biosphere project.