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Life Support Systems

The Planetary Life Support Systems are the principal open-science research themes supporting the InterPlanetary Project. Our exploration of these themes will help us reason through the present to discuss planetary futures, and thereby allow for the creation of comparative or counterfactual views of life (on earth, and beyond).

Science for a Complex World

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What’s the minimal requirement for a self-sustaining ecosystem?

Ecosystems crash all the time, closed ones included. So what does a fully closed, man-made, functional ecosystem look like?

What processes lead to living planets?

What’s required for stable ecosystems and long-term stability?

Are we capable of building an autonomous ecosystem?

Are there general signs of the impact of intelligent species on ecosystems?

What leads to stable planetary habitability?

Can a non-living planet be turned into a living one?

How can a living planet be turned into a non-living planet? - Is our own an example?

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  • Resources
  • SFI Research – Humanity's Place in the Web of Life
  • Autonomous Ecosystems Panel (IP 2018) with Jen Dunne, Kate Greene, Mark Nelson, and David Stout