“500 Days Underground: A Human Experiment in Isolation”

How did you spend 500 days in the cave?

I often see works that deal with shipwrecks, but most of them are set in open places such as uninhabited islands.

However, what happens to humans who are isolated from other people for a long period of time in the darkness of space, deep inside a cave, or in a place where they cannot sense the change in time relative to the sun?

A human experiment was actually conducted in Spain to verify such a question.

It was a Spanish mountain climber who challenged this reckless human experimentextreme sportsis also a professional ofBeatriz Flaminiis.

(Click here for Mr. Flamini’s Instagrambeatriz_flamini』）

On November 21, 2021, she entered a cave in Granada, Andalusia, southern Spain, and began her underground life.

At that time, Russia had not yet invaded Ukraine.

Mr. Flamini was 48 years old when he started the experiment.

the cave is70 meters below groundIt’s in the middle of nowhere, no light, utter darkness.

Mr. Flamini set up a simple seat and lighting in a convenient space and started living primitively.

During the experiment, I was in regular contact with scientists, psychologists, and speleologists through a message service to see if there were any abnormalities in my physical condition or environment, but I never met them directly.

In the cave, they exercised, read books, drew pictures, and knitted.

Regarding food, the support crew who assisted the experiment left food at the designated descent point, and Mr. Flamini went to pick it up later.

Also, about once every five days, the support crew would bring back and dispose of the excrement.

We just don’t touch each other.

About 300 days after the challenge, a technical problem occurred, and Mr. Flamini had to leave the cave for eight days. .

Life in the cave is filmed with two GoPros.

The worst part was when a large number of flies invaded the cave, and Flamini was completely covered in flies.

after that‘hallucinations’ were frequentIt’s called.

During the experiment, no words were exchanged with anyone, and the surroundings were surrounded by silence,“When I was silent, my brain was creating words on its own.”I talked to

And on April 12, 2023, after the initial goal of 500 days, the support crew descended into the cave and the experiment ended successfully.

Mr. Flamini recalls that time.

“I was asleep or light-headed when the team picked me up, but I knew something had happened.

And I was like, ‘No way, it’s over? ’ he called to them. I still have a book to read.”

The moment Mr. Flamini returned from the cave was caught on camera by the Spanish TVE broadcaster, and in addition to the team, family and acquaintances rushed to the scene.

According to the support crew, sheRead 60 books and drink about 1000 liters of water in 500 daysIt’s called.

After a year and a half of trying, Mr. Flamini turned 50.

At a subsequent press conference, Mr. Flamini said of this challenge, “It was a wonderful experience that beats everything.”

The first big difference I noticed wasDifferences in “perception of time passage” on the ground and in caveswas.

Mr. Flamini seems to have counted the days from the start of the challenge to the 65th day, but after that he explained that he rapidly lost his sense of time.

actual,When the support crew picked her up on day 500, she thought it was only 160-170 days old.It says.

‘I realized how fluid time is, shaped by my memories and my surroundings rather than by a clock that keeps time accurately,’ Flamini said.

For most of us, our work, our daily routines, and the rising and setting of the sun make the passage of our day regular.

However, in the cave, where the movement of the sun was unknown, and where there were no fixed tasks or social interactions, the regularity of time seemed to have disappeared, and Mr. Flamini became dependent on his own emotions and memories.

And of course, she doesn’t know anything about what happened in the last 500 days, including the invasion of Ukraine and the situation of the corona pandemic.

Mr. Flamini“I’m still trapped on November 21, 2021.”I’m talking to

The video record taken by Mr. Flamini will be distributed as a documentary soon.

Former diver challenges underwater life for 100 days!