Small World

Since Christmas, I haven't stopped staring at my new EcoSphere, a self-contained and self-sustaining miniature world of active micro-organisms like algae and shrimp. Invented by NASA scientists using space age technology, the EcoSphere is the World's first entirely enclosed ecosystem.

By gathering energy from light and converting it, the ecosystem will thrive with little to no maintenance, which is perfect for me since I can't seem to keep anything alive. Light, together with the carbon dioxide in the water, enables the algae to produce oxygen by photosynthesis. The shrimp breathe the oxygen in the water and graze on the algae and the bacteria. The waste from the shrimp is broken down by the bacteria into nutrients, which in turn feed the algae. The shrimp and the bacteria also give off carbon dioxide and the cycle is renewed when the algae use this once again to produce oxygen. And the cycle continues...

The best part: when your shrimp sadly die off, you can send it back to the company to be recharged for a nominal fee. They are beautiful conversation pieces and really amazing to observe. You can purchase many different sizes of the EcoSphere online through Brookstone.