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One year after the first Covid lock in France, 15 women and men between the ages of 27 and 50 have volunteered to live in a confined space for 40 days in a cave in Ariège, in western southern France. They are part of a scientific experiment called the Deep Time project, the first of its kind in the world.
The aim of the test is to examine people’s ability to accept the loss of spatio-temporal reference points, an issue that was raised specifically by the health crisis, explains Franco-Switzerland director Christian Clot.
“In an extreme context, with a new lifestyle, it is clear that we did not know how to deal with the impact of these changes as an organization,” said this researcher and founder of the Institute for Human Change in September 2020, referring to the Covid locks around the world.
This is the birth of the Deep Time project, which began on Sunday 14 March at 8pm (local time) and lasts for 40 days.
DEEPTIME // JOUR 1 // NOUS ALLONS VIVRE SOUS LA TERRE!
Hier à 20h00, après une dernière journée de préparation et la conférence de presse, la porte de la Grotte de Lombrives s’est refermée derrière nous.
De l’émotion pour ces derniers chuimhneacháin à la lumière du jour et les au revoir pic.twitter.com/GVbbpQ17L5
– Christian Clot (@ChristianClot) March 15, 2021
Without a watch, telephone or natural light, seven men, seven women and Christian Clot themselves must become accustomed to 12-degree and 95% humidity in the Lombrives’ Cave, generate their own electricity through a pedal-boat system, and draw the water to they need from a depth of 45 meters.
They will be equipped with sensors that allow a dozen scientists to follow them from the surface.
‘World first’
“This test is the first world,” says Professor Etienne Koechlin, director of the cognitive and computational neuro-science laboratory at the Ecole normale supérieure (ENS).
“To date, all such missions have focused on examining the psychological rhythms of the organization, but the impact of this type of temporal disturbance on people’s mental and emotional functions has always been one, “he says.
The 14 volunteers – including a jeweler, anesthetist, security guard and rope access technician – from across France are participating in the project voluntarily, without any compensation.
Arnaud Burel, a 29-year-old biologist, agreed to take part in the mission to “get a taste of this timeless, impossible life outside with our computers and mobile phones constantly charging. we remember our roles and responsibilities, “he says.
Four tons of equipment
In the cave, one of the largest in Europe, “three separate dwellings were established: one for sleeping, one for living and one for exploring the topography of the place, the animals and the plants. specifically, “Christian Clot Explains.”
Four tons of equipment were carried so that the 15 volunteers could live independently, he said.
In total, Deep Time had to fund 1.2 million euros: from private and public partners, but mainly from the Institute for Human Change.