Frequently asked questions

Answers to the most common questions about Biosphere.

How can I contact Biosphere?

Use the Contact form and choose the topic that fits your message, such as a general question, a technical issue or feedback. Include your email so the Biosphere team can get back to you.

What is Biosphere?

Biosphere is a biodiversity education and exploration platform. It brings together species, habitats, stories and reference resources, the BioQuest discovery game, verified Impact Actions and the BPE reward token, to help you discover, understand and act for the living world.

What is the Biosphere Store?

The Biosphere Store offers natural and sustainable everyday products. It is currently in demo mode: products, prices and shipping rates are sample data while the store is being set up.

How do I explore a species?

Go to Species and open any species card. Its page shows the species’ classification, where it lives, its conservation status and related species, along with links to its habitats.

What is BioQuest?

BioQuest is the interactive side of Biosphere: a six-step guided journey, the Daily Mystery Species, four quiz games built from real catalog data, a Field Scanner for your own photos, a field journal, weekly expeditions, badges and a leaderboard of explorers.

How do I add a product to my cart?

Open a Store product, choose an option (such as size or flavor) and the quantity, then select Add to cart. You can also add the default option straight from a product card.

How do I create an account?

Select Register, enter your name, username, email, country and a password, and accept the terms. Then open the verification link we email you to activate your explorer profile.

What is the Biosphere Journal?

The Biosphere Journal is Biosphere’s blog: stories, discoveries, research explainers and biodiversity news, linked to the species and habitats they talk about.

Where does Biosphere ship?

Within Argentina and internationally. Choose your country at checkout and you’ll only see the shipping methods available for it.

What are Biosphere Habitats?

Habitats is a guide to the world’s major ecosystems — such as oceans, rainforests, deserts, wetlands, mountains and polar regions — and the species that live in them.

What are Biodiversity Resources?

Biodiversity Resources is Biosphere’s reference library: field guides, a glossary, conservation references, educational material and links to public biodiversity databases.

What can I do on Biosphere?

Explore species and browse the full Catalog, visit the ecosystems in Habitats, read the Biosphere Journal, go deeper with Biodiversity Resources, discover species with BioQuest and shop in the Biosphere Store.

How does BioQuest work?

Start with Your biodiversity journey at the top of BioQuest: Discover, Scan, Learn, Explore a habitat, Connect the ecosystem and Review your progress — each step can be skipped and resumed. Or play any game directly from Explore & Play. With an explorer account, your progress, XP and field journal are saved.

What shipping methods are available and how much do they cost?

Standard and Express delivery within Argentina, and International shipping to other countries. The cost of each method is shown at checkout before you pay; while the store is in demo mode, rates are sample values.

How do I log in?

Select Login in the header and enter your email and password. You need to verify your email first. If you forgot your password, use Forgot password? to receive a reset link.

How do I report a problem?

Send a message through Contact with the topic Technical issue, describing what you were doing and what happened.

How do I explore a habitat?

Open Habitats, search or filter by type (for example Marine or Polar), and choose a habitat. Its page covers conditions, key facts, species, threats and conservation.

What is the species Catalog?

The Catalog is the complete collection of species documented in Biosphere. You can filter it by animals or plants, type, habitat, region and conservation status, and sort the results.

What types of products are sold?

Foods & pantry, plant-based products, teas and yerba mate, natural cosmetics, personal care, sustainable home goods and eco accessories.

What types of articles are published?

Articles, news, field notes, species stories, research explainers and platform updates, across topics such as animals, plants, oceans, ecosystems and conservation.

How are Resources different from Journal articles?

The Journal publishes stories and news. Resources are reference material — guides, glossaries, databases and reports — organised so you can go deeper on a topic.

Can I find scientific resources?

Yes. The library lists external scientific sources such as biodiversity databases and global assessment reports, each clearly marked as an external source with its publisher.

Can I see which species live in a habitat?

Yes. Each habitat page has a “Species of this habitat” section listing the species from the Biosphere database that live there, each linking to its own page.

How do I discover a species?

Open a species page while logged in and choose Add to my discoveries. You can also discover species by identifying them in BioQuest challenges.

How can I suggest a species?

Use Contact with the topic Species suggestion and tell us which species you’d like to see in Biosphere.

How do I find a particular species?

Type its common or scientific name in the search box on the Species page or in the Catalog. You can also narrow the results with the habitat and conservation filters.

What payment methods are available?

Bank transfer, virtual wallets (Mercado Pago, Brubank, Wallbit and ARQ) and payment by QR code. Credit and debit card payments will be activated once the store’s payment processor is connected.

What is my explorer profile?

Your explorer profile shows your level, XP, discoveries and achievements. You can also choose whether your profile and discoveries are visible to other explorers.

How do I search articles?

Use the search box on the Journal page, then narrow the results by category, content type, topic, species, habitat or date, and sort them.

Is Biosphere free to use?

Yes. Exploring species, habitats, the Journal, Resources, BioQuest and Impact Actions is free, and creating an explorer account is free too.

What are XP and achievements?

XP (experience points) measure your BioQuest progress and raise your explorer level. They come from the Daily Mystery, games (up to +55 for your first completed round of each game per day), objectives, knowledge challenges and each species new to your field journal (+10, once per species — including from the Field Scanner). XP is added only once the server records it and is never converted into BPE. Achievements are milestones unlocked along the way — see yours in Achievements.

How are species and habitats connected?

Species pages link to the habitats they live in, and habitat pages list their species, so you can move back and forth between them. Related Journal stories appear on both.

Can I use Biosphere without an account?

Yes. You can explore species, habitats, the Journal and Resources, and try BioQuest in preview mode. An account saves your discoveries and XP, and lets you submit Impact Actions and receive BPE rewards.

How do I change the quantity of an item?

Open your cart (or the cart panel from the cart icon) and use the − and + buttons next to the product. Each item can be ordered up to 20 units, within the available stock.

Are articles connected to species?

Yes. Articles list the species and habitats they mention, linking to their pages, and species and habitat pages show related stories.

Can I find educational material?

Yes. Filter Resources by type or by audience (students, educators) to find learning guides, the Biodiversity Glossary and classroom-friendly material.

Can I search for species from anywhere?

Yes. The search field in the header looks across species, habitats, Journal stories, resources, the glossary, help guides and FAQs, and Biosphere features such as the Field Scanner, the weekly expedition or linking a wallet. Results are grouped by type as you type.

How do I start exploring?

Start with Species to meet the living world, open any species to learn about it, then follow the links to the habitats where it lives. When you want to keep track of what you find, create an explorer profile and use BioQuest.

How can I report incorrect information?

Use Contact with the topic Content correction, including the page and what looks wrong. Sources are very welcome.

When is my payment processed?

For transfers, wallets and QR payments, you confirm at checkout that you sent the payment and your order shows “Payment under review” until the store confirms it arrived. You get an email when it’s confirmed.

Can I suggest an article or resource?

Yes. Send your idea through Contact with the topic Feedback, or Education / research for educational material, and include any links.

Is checkout secure?

Prices, stock and totals are always verified by Biosphere before an order is created. Card details are never sent to or stored by Biosphere — they go directly to the payment processor.

Where can I see a species’ habitat?

Every species page has a “Where it lives” section with its range and links to the habitats it belongs to. Open a habitat to see the other species that share it.

Does the Field Scanner give XP?

Yes, once per species. After a scan, add a catalog species you agree with to your field journal: if it’s new to your journal, the server adds +10 XP and the scanner shows it. A species that’s already in your journal adds no XP, the same scan can’t be counted twice, and catalog photos don’t earn XP. Scanner XP never creates BPE, and a scan isn’t a verified observation — use Impact Actions for that.

Can I find news about biodiversity?

Yes. Filter the Journal by the News type to see time-sensitive updates. You can also subscribe to the Journal newsletter to receive new stories by email.

Is there a glossary of scientific terms?

Yes. The Biodiversity Glossary explains the scientific and ecological terms used across Biosphere. Search a term, browse A–Z or by category, and follow each concept to related species and habitats.

How do I remove an item from my cart?

In your cart, select Remove under the product. You can also change its option there without removing it.

How do I manage my profile and settings?

Open Settings from your profile menu to change your display name, username, country and photo, your password, email preferences and privacy. You can also delete your account there.

Where can I learn more about Biosphere?

The About Biosphere page explains why Biosphere exists, how its different parts connect and the ideas behind the platform.

How do I check out?

From your cart, select Checkout and follow the four steps: Contact, Delivery, Review and Payment. Prices, stock and shipping are checked again before your order is created.

How do I read a full article?

Select any story card in the Journal to open the full article, including its sources and references when available.

What happens if a payment fails or a transfer isn’t received?

If a card is declined, no order is created and you can try again or choose another method. If a transfer can’t be confirmed, the order is cancelled, its items return to stock and you receive an email.

How can I earn BPE?

There are seven ways, all active on the test network (Polygon Amoy) with a provisional configuration: the daily quest, mastering a species, completing a collection and finishing the weekly expedition in BioQuest, plus three verified real-world actions — a litter cleanup, a species observation and a habitat restoration — that a person reviews before any reward. Each has its own amount and limits, and every explorer also has a total daily limit; see them all in Ways to earn. You need a verified email to qualify and a linked wallet to receive the tokens (rewards wait for you until you link one). XP from scans and quiz games never becomes BPE. Test-network BPE has no intended real-world value.

How can I learn more about a species?

Besides its profile, a species may appear in Journal stories and Biodiversity Resources, and you can compare it with others on the Species page. Use the links on each page to keep exploring.

How do I log out?

Open your profile menu in the header and select Log out.

Are resources linked to species and habitats?

Yes. A resource page shows the species and habitats it covers, related Journal stories and other resources, so you can move straight to the living things it describes.

Where can I send feedback?

We’d love to hear it. Use Contact with the topic Feedback to tell us what you enjoy or what we could improve.

Can I shop without an account?

Yes, you can check out as a guest. With an account, your cart is saved to your profile and you can see all your orders in Your orders.

How do I view my order?

After placing an order you’re taken to its page. Logged-in explorers can see every order in Your orders; guests can open it from the link in the confirmation email.

Can I buy a species or an animal on Biosphere?

No. Species and the Catalog are scientific and educational content only. Nothing on Biosphere sells animals, plants or other organisms.