French cavers on fast forward as 40-day underground isolation goes by in no time
The group had no clocks, no sunlight and no contact with the world above for the duration of their experiment
25 April 2021 • 6:30pm
After 40 days in voluntary isolation, 15 people participating in a scientific experiment have emerged from a vast cave in southwestern France
Credit: Human Adaptation Institute via AP
Eight men and seven women who emerged into daylight after spending 40 days and 40 nights in a cave without any indication of time made a surprising discovery - time appeared to move more quickly in confinement.
The group was sequestered underground for a scientific study known as the ‘Deep Time’ project, which measured how the brain perceives time in isolation.