Nearly two C ago , famed scientists Charles Darwin and Joseph Hooker transformed the barren volcanic island of Ascension into a lush artificial ecosystem , unwittingly inventing terraforming . Now , Darwin ’s incredible achievement could help us transform Mars into a liveable surroundings .
Darwin and Hooker , with the assistance of the Royal Navy , manage to create a functional ecosystem in decennium , rather than the million of age it would have exact for such a arrangement to develop naturally . Although much of Ascension remains arid , they were able to plant enough trees to entrance rainwater without it all evaporate away , create a ego - sustain ecosystem that made life a whole peck well-fixed for its inhabitants .
Dr. Dave Wilkinson , an ecologist at Liverpool John Moores University , explain why he set up the Ascension ecosystem so unknown when he first visited in 2003 , and why it ’s authoritative :
“ I remember thinking , this is really unearthly . There were all variety of industrial plant that do n’t belong together in nature , growing side by side . I only later found out about Darwin , Hooker and everything that had hap . What it separate us is that we can ramp up a in full function ecosystem through a series of chance accidents or trial and error . ”
Wilkinson believes these principles could be adapted to colonization efforts on Mars , although he remark scientist have yet to gravely consider the example Darwin ’s workplace on Ascension could instruct us . For more on this remarkable narrative , check out the full article atBBC News
[ BBC News ; thanks to Mathmosfor the tip ! ]
ascensionBiologyCharles DarwinMarsScienceterraforming
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