Well if you mean what does the controlled part of a scientific investigation, it is the part of the investigation that will be your control or your base, untouched, original, data and such.
Description The Fermi paradox, named after Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi, is the apparent contradiction between the lack of evidence for extraterrestrial civilizations and various high estimates for their probability. Michael H. Hart formalized the basic points of the argument in a 1975 paper.
The earth has endured ice ages , drought, storms, and flooding, it can cause illness and death as well as damage to homes
Answer: Exactly the same way since the very begining of our existence?
Explanation: Uniformitarianism suggests that the processes that rule the Earth have always been the same.
The only thing that comes to my mind and that has something to do with the disaster of Chernobyl is that all the radioactive and hazardous activity somehow could have affected the structure of the soil. It´s not pretty clear, but in practical terms, I wouldn´t build another facility on at least 30 miles around Chernobyl or Pripyat.