Comparative Biospheromics Network

Engineered organisms are racing ahead, but we still lack ecosystem-scale testing to understand their impacts. By experimenting with living models at different scales, we can close that gap, guide safer releases, and accelerate ecological insight.

Welcome to the Comparative Biospheromics Network — a U.S.-launched international initiative to study ecosystem resilience and biosafety through distributed ecotron research.

Human activities are pushing ecosystems beyond known thresholds. Synthetic biology offers a multitude of potentially promising solutions, but the field is advancing faster than our ability to test its fitness and safety at the ecosystem level. Most of our models still rely on tiny plots, oversimplified variables, or isolated lab studies.

We need scalable, controlled, ecosystem-scale experiments to build resilient innovation—tools that strengthen economies, protect ecosystems, and guide the future of biotechnology. That’s what this network is about.

Comparative Biospheromics is the study of closed, instrumented ecosystems—ecotrons—under parallel experimental conditions at meaningful spatial and temporal scales using a combination of biospheric and omics data.

Learn more about ecotrons and share with your senators: Ecotron Science

Built over the past year:

A vision for an open-source, modular biosafety testing infrastructure that advances both science and education
A plan to link high schools and universities in collaborative research and STEM learning called 200 Earths: 200 Earths Project
A mock data dashboard for 200 Earths hypothesizing 50+ U.S. sites, each with 4 experimental domes: Control, +CO₂, +Nitrogen, +Heat
A data dashboard for Oak Ridge National Laboratory's SPRUCE project

Looking to connect with:

Researchers in ecology, synthetic biology, and environmental engineering
Computational biologists, software engineers, and full-stack developers
Architects, systems engineers, and sustainable design/build professionals
Educators passionate about real-world, research-connected STEM learning
Experts in space systems, aerospace engineering, and closed-loop life support
Funders and foundations ready to invest in next-generation research infrastructure

Let’s rethink how we test solutions for the biosphere—before they’re deployed in the wild.

Examples of Field-Ready Experimentation for Ecosystem-Scale Biosafety

Gene Flow Containment Trials
Scenario: Introduce a non-pathogenic, genetically marked microbe (e.g., a GFP-tagged soil bacterium or algae) into a closed ecocell or semi-open habitat.
Goal: Track how far engineered genes or organisms move in soil, water, or plant systems; test physical, chemical, or genetic containment strategies.
Use Case: Inform environmental release guidelines for agricultural or remediation applications.
Synthetic–Wild Microbiome Interaction Studies
Scenario: Introduce a synthetic microbial consortium designed for nitrogen fixation or methane reduction into a controlled plant-soil system with native microbiota.
Goal: Assess how the engineered microbes affect species composition, gene transfer, nutrient cycling, and resilience.
Use Case: Evaluate ecosystem-level risks/benefits of engineered microbes for agriculture or climate mitigation.
Biomass & Ecosystem Function Modeling under Synthetic Inputs
Scenario: Add bioengineered plant lines (e.g., with altered root architecture or stress tolerance genes) into a native micro-ecosystem.
Goal: Observe effects on biomass accumulation, water use, pollinator visitation, and species interactions.
Use Case: Assess long-term ecological fitness and unintended impacts of GM plants beyond monoculture test plots.
Ecotron-Based Stress Testing
Scenario: Run parallel ecosystems with and without synthetic biology interventions (e.g., carbon sequestration strains, stress-response enhancers) under varied environmental stressors (heat, drought, nutrients).
Goal: Measure ecosystem stability, feedback loops, and failure thresholds.
Use Case: Evaluate biotech resilience claims and identify failure points before scaled deployment.
Horizontal Gene Transfer Monitoring
Scenario: Release engineered microbes with biosafety circuit elements (e.g., kill switches, dependency on synthetic amino acids) and monitor HGT frequency in soil, aquatic, or gut-like communities.
Goal: Quantify risks of gene escape and validate biocontainment tools under realistic conditions.
Use Case: Support regulatory safety cases and synthetic gene circuit certification.

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Ecology / Synthetic Biology

Computational Biology / Software Development

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STEM Education & Real-world Learning

Space Systems / Aerospace / Life Support

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Biosafety / Containment

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Comparative Biospheromics Network

Testing Tomorrow’s Technologies in Today’s Ecosystems

Examples of Field-Ready Experimentation for Ecosystem-Scale Biosafety

Join the Network