The glass ball appearing in Qin Lan's photo is called an Eco Ball, a popular small fresh decoration before the disaster.
The method is straightforward: just find a transparent glass container, lay a layer of fine sand inside, fill about two-thirds with water, then put in small fish and shrimp, and seal the entire container.
Such an Eco Ball can maintain ecological balance for about two months. Although it needs daily sunlight to ensure proper lighting, and the ratio of fish, shrimp, and algae has to be controlled, it's quite significant that such a simple object can maintain ecological balance for two months.
In fact, ever since the Eco Ball was invented by two scientists, it has been a very meaningful research project.
If we liken the Eco Ball to a miniature Blue Star, then the small red shrimp represent humans.
