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Fifteen volunteers have emerged from a cave in the southwest of France after spending 40 days without clocks, phones, or sunlight for a human isolation experiment.
The eight men and seven women finished their time with the Deep Time experiment on April 24.
The volunteers emerged from the darkness to enthusiastic cheers and applause, wearing special sunglasses to help their eyes adjust to the first sunlight they’d seen in over a month.
Early reports from the volunteers seem to suggest time moved much slower in the cave.
One volunteer, Marina Lançon, said “it was like pressing pause,” and apparently wouldn’t have minded staying there a few days longer, The Guardian reported.
Project leader, Christian Clot, said for most of the group it felt like they’d only been in the cave for 30 days when it came time for them to leave. He also said he was “a little sad” to leave the cave.
French study examining effects of being cut off from world finds time seemed to pass more slowly for participants as they lived underground, deprived of clocks or sunlight
Volunteers emerge from cave after 40 days with no phones, clocks or sunlight
The Human Adaption Institute led the $1.4 million experiment, which sent eight men and seven women into the Lombrives cave in southwest France. By
Story at a glance
A group of 15 volunteers saw sunlight for the first time in more than a month on Saturday after spending 40 days underground as part of a human isolation experiment.
Group members made their own electricity with a pedal bike, slept in tents and gathered their water from a well.
Scientists monitored the team’s sleep patterns, interactions and behavioral reactions through sensors.