“Deep Time Project”: Volunteers Leave Cave After 40 Days in Isolation

What is the News?

The Deep Time project in France’s Lombrives Cave has come to an end.

About Deep Time Project:

• The Deep Time Project was led by the scientists of the Human Adaptation Institute in partnership with labs in France and Switzerland.
• Aim: The project aimed to test how people adapt to changes in living conditions and environments.
• As part of the Project, 15 participants lived in the Lombrives cave in France for 40 days with no phones, clocks or sunlight. They slept in tents, made their own electricity, and had no contact with the outside world.
• The group also had to organise tasks without having deadlines measured with time. Instead, they had to rely on their body clocks and sleep cycles to structure their days.

Significance of the study:

• Firstly, the project will help scientists understand how people can adapt to extreme living conditions.
• Secondly, the brain activity and cognitive function of volunteers were analysed before they entered the cave. This data is used for comparative studies after they leave the cave.
• Further, the purpose of the study has particular relevance during the coronavirus pandemic, as millions of people live in lockdown induced isolation.

Source: The Hindu