15 people passed the 40-day challenge in the dark cave

After 40 days of voluntary isolation, on April 24, a group of volunteers consisting of 15 people participating in a scientific experiment called Deep Time came out of the vast Lombrives cave in southwestern France.

Participants in the “Deep Time” study emerged from the Lombrives Cave after 40 days underground. Photo: AP. After 40 days of voluntary isolation, on April 24, a group of volunteers consisting of 15 people participating in a scientific experiment called Deep Time came out of the vast Lombrives cave in southwestern France. They consisted of eight men and seven women living in the deep, dark and wet caves to help researchers understand how humans adapt to drastic changes in conditions and habitats. They have no watches, no sunlight, and have no contact with the outside world. With bright smiles on their pale faces, 15 volunteers left the Lombrives cave in cheering applause. They must wear special glasses to protect their eyes after long periods of time in the dark. When returning to the ground, all the volunteers wore special glasses to avoid shock to the light. Photo: AP. Marina Lancon, 33, one of seven female members in the test, said: “This is like being pressed on an emergency pause button.” Ms. Marina still wanted to be able to stay in the cave for a few more days, but she also said she was happy to see the wind blowing in her face again and to hear birds singing in the trees in the French Pyréneés. And she said, in a few days she has no plans to reopen her smartphone to hope to avoid a “too brutal” return to real life. The group of volunteers began to return from the ground. Photo: AP. For 40 days and nights, the team lived and explored the caves as part of the Deep Time project. There is no sunlight inside, the temperature is 10 degrees C and the relative humidity is 100 percent. The cave dwellers had no contact with the outside world, had no pandemic updates, nor any contact information with friends or family. Scientists at the Human Adaptation Institute leading the 1.2 million euros ($ 1.5 million) “Deep Time” project, said this experiment will help them better understand how people adapt to drastic changes in conditions and habitats. Because they don’t have a clock, team members keep an eye on their circadian clock to know when to wake up, go to bed, and eat. They count their days not by hours, but by their sleep cycle. Therefore, Project Director, Mr. Christian Clot was surprised that the time in the cave was over: “We think it’s only been 30 days.” The estimate of one team member is only 23 days. Members participating in the Deep Time project study speak during the press conference after returning from the Lombrives Cave after 40 days underground. Photo: AP. Working with laboratories in France and Switzerland, the scientists tracked the 15 members’ sleep patterns, social interactions, and behavioral responses via sensors. This sensor is designed as a small thermometer inside a capsule that participants swallow like a pill. It measures body temperature and transmits data to a computer until it is naturally cleared out. On April 23, the scientists told the study subjects they would be out soon. After the 40-day challenge, 2/3 of the group still wished to stay in the cave for a little more time. Photo: AP. On April 24, when they were released from the cave, although the participants looked tired, two-thirds of the participants expressed a wish to stay underground a little longer to complete group projects. At the beginning of the expedition, said Benoit Mauvieux, a biologist involved in the study. “Our future as humans on this planet will flourish,” said Clot after exiting the cave. “We have to learn to better understand how our brains are able to find new solutions, in any situation.”