{"id":6656,"date":"2023-07-20T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-20T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=6656"},"modified":"2023-07-04T13:14:14","modified_gmt":"2023-07-04T13:14:14","slug":"alone-in-a-dark-cave-what-can-we-learn-from-extreme-survival-experiments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/alone-in-a-dark-cave-what-can-we-learn-from-extreme-survival-experiments\/","title":{"rendered":"Alone in a dark cave: what can we learn from extreme survival experiments?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n \n
\n \n Noah Silliman\/Unsplash<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\nRowena Christiansen<\/a>, The University of Melbourne<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

Why do humans undertake journeys of personal exploration, or subject themselves to challenging conditions for long periods of time? What might we learn from their experiences?<\/p>\n\n

British mountaineer George Mallory undertook his fatal attempt to summit Mount Everest in 1924 simply \u201cbecause it\u2019s there<\/a>\u201d. While such quests may have deeply personal motivations, research carried out during expeditions in extreme conditions can contribute to our understanding of how humans respond to environmental challenges.<\/p>\n\n

The research outcomes can potentially be applied to a variety of settings, including remote locations here on Earth and even human space exploration.<\/p>\n\n

Searching for extreme environments<\/h2>\n\n

Many explorers seek out \u201cextreme environments<\/a>\u201d. This term describes harsh and unusual environmental conditions where it is difficult for life forms like humans to survive and thrive.<\/p>\n\n

Examples include places that experience extremes of temperature, pressure, altitude, rainfall, breathable air, natural light, or hazardous chemical concentrations.<\/p>\n\n

In recent years, humans have undertaken many extreme experiments, either alone or in groups.<\/p>\n\n

In June 2023, Joseph Dituri, a biomedical engineer at the University of South Florida, completed a record-breaking 100 days<\/a> living 9.15 metres underwater in a special habitat. At this depth, the pressure is approximately double what we experience on land. As he stated afterwards<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n

\n

The human body has never been underwater that long. This experience has changed me in an important way, and my greatest hope is that I have inspired a new generation of explorers and researchers to push past all boundaries.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

From November 2021 to April 2023, Spanish mountaineer Beatriz Flamini<\/a> spent 500 days alone in a dark subterranean cave. She aimed<\/a> to \u201clearn more about how the human mind and body can deal with extreme solitude and deprivation\u201d. When asked why she looked happy on emerging from the cave, she replied<\/a>: \u201cHow would you feel if you had a dream and you fulfilled it? Would you come out crying?\u201d<\/p>\n\n

In 2021, a so-called Deep Time<\/a> project in France isolated 15 volunteers in a cave underground for 40 days and nights without access to sunlight, clocks, or telephones. The project aimed to explore human adaptation<\/a> to isolation and extreme conditions, together with the absence of the normal stimuli that provide a sense of time. <\/p>\n\n

Training for space<\/h2>\n\n

As part of its astronaut training program, the European Space Agency holds a three-week course<\/a> in an underground cave system. This work prepares astronauts to work safely and effectively in multicultural teams in a place where safety is critical.<\/p>\n\n

Extreme environments can be useful not just for training and simulations. Places with physical similarities to space environments can also serve as locations for so-called analog missions<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

These field tests are less expensive and more convenient than space-based research. They allow for the testing of technology, equipment, and experimental concepts alongside assessment of human physical and psychological responses to challenging conditions.<\/p>\n\n

An additional goal of analog missions<\/a> is to research possible safeguards, or countermeasures<\/a>, against what NASA terms the \u201cfive hazards of human spaceflight<\/a>\u201d. <\/p>\n\n

These are: <\/p>\n\n

    \n
  1. radiation<\/strong> \u2013 exposure to high levels of space radiation beyond Earth\u2019s magnetic field <\/li>\n
  2. isolation and confinement<\/strong> \u2013 being far away from all that is familiar on Earth and confined in a relatively small and unchanging space can impact wellbeing, behaviour, and performance <\/li>\n
  3. distance from Earth<\/strong> \u2013 the farther away from Earth, the greater the communication delays and challenges, and thus the need for autonomy and self-sufficiency <\/li>\n
  4. gravity<\/strong> \u2013 astronauts could face up to four different gravitational environments<\/a>. There is \u201cnormal gravity\u201d or 1g on Earth; microgravity<\/a> (\u201cweightlessness\u201d) in Earth orbit and in deep space transit; and partial gravity of 0.17g on the Moon and 0.38g on Mars. All of these have differing effects on the human body<\/li>\n
  5. hostile and closed environments<\/strong> \u2013 life support systems aim to provide a controlled environment, but problems can occur. Microbial lifeforms<\/a> are a further consideration for both astronauts and the spacecraft.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
    \n \"Infographic<\/a>\n
    \n These are the five hazards for humans in space, as outlined by NASA.<\/span>\n NASA<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

    There are many different types<\/a> of analog missions, including in Antarctic, Arctic, underwater and desert settings. There are also closed small-group habitats such as NASA\u2019s HERA<\/a> module at Johnson Space Center and the privately owned Hi-Seas<\/a> habitat on Hawai\u2018i island.<\/p>\n\n

    What we learn in extreme environments can be helpful closer to home, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We\u2019re all in this together<\/h2>\n\n

    Research into isolation and confinement<\/a> provided helpful advice for people experiencing lockdowns during the peak of the COVID pandemic.<\/p>\n\n

    Telehealth<\/a> research already benefits people living in isolated and remote areas. The United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs runs a Space4Health<\/a> initiative aimed at assisting countries in leveraging space infrastructure for better global health outcomes. NASA\u2019s Spinoff<\/a> archive documents the rich history of how space research has benefited life on Earth.<\/p>\n\n

    Through pushing the boundaries of human exploration in challenging environments, people not only learn more about themselves and their place in the world, but also make a unique contribution to a better understanding of human boundaries.<\/p>\n\n

    This knowledge can help us in various ways, both here on Earth and in humanity\u2019s ultimate quest to reach for the stars.\"The<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Rowena Christiansen<\/a>, Lecturer and Topic Coordinator, The University of Melbourne<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n

    This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Noah Silliman\/Unsplash Rowena Christiansen, The University of Melbourne Why do humans undertake journeys of personal exploration, or subject…\n","protected":false},"author":530,"featured_media":6636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[563,474],"class_list":{"0":"post-6656","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-and-body","8":"tag-psychology","9":"tag-the-conversation","10":"cs-entry","11":"cs-video-wrap"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/530"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6656"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6657,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6656\/revisions\/6657"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}