This from the BBC news site;
quote:
A lonely island in the middle of the South Atlantic conceals Charles Darwin's best-kept secret.
Two hundred years ago, Ascension Island was a barren volcanic edifice.
Today, its peaks are covered by lush tropical "cloud forest".
What happened in the interim is the amazing story of how the architect of evolution, Kew Gardens and the Royal Navy conspired to build a fully functioning, but totally artificial ecosystem.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11137903
Not sure about the direction in which they take this ("this great imperial experiment may hold the key to the future colonisation of Mars" - I think that's getting a little ahead of things) but it's interesting stuff.
Mutate and Survive
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