A scientists who spent 100 days living underwater believes it’s made him younger.
Dr Joseph Dituri, who earned a Guinness World Record for the experience, challenged himself to spend 100 days 30-feet under a lagoon in Florida.
He lived in a tiny 9m by 9m room to see how his body would react over the three and a half months, and during that time he discovered a ‘new species’ as well.
Dr Dituri, who had to scuba dive down into the lagoon to get into his small space, monitored how long-term extreme pressure may affect his body. But when his scientific research was done for the day, he taught school children via online lessons from inside the watery home.
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He spent between March and June 2023 under the surface, and was also monitored by psychological, medical and psychosocial experts.
The formal naval officer wanted to research a new type of medicine which aims to deliver oxygen throughout the human body while under extreme pressure by growing new blood vessels.
One month into the experiment, he discovered a new species – a single-celled organism now being studied by microbiologists.
He said at the time: “We believe [it] is a brand new species to science.
“People have dived in this area thousands and thousands of times – it’s been here, we just didn’t look.”
After resurfacing, he claimed his health ha dimproved in various ways, including longer telomeres which are structures on chromosomes believed to extend life. He also claimed blood test results showed a 50 per cent reduction in every inflammatory marker in his body.
The scientists told WKMG News: “I’m 56 now. My extrinsic [biological] age was 44. When I got out of the water, my extrinsic age was 34.
“So, my telomeres lengthened. I actually got younger when I was under the water.”
A press release from last year also said: “Part of the work will see a psychologist and a psychiatrist monitor the effects he experiences while in an environment similar to extended space travel.
“It’s an isolating confined extreme environment. And as humans, we really need to figure out how we’re going to be living in that (environment) if we’re going to expand our planet, if we’re going to go interplanetary, if we’re going to find all the cures that we need to find.”
Aside from ‘getting younger’ he became a Guinness World Record holder for the most days spent living underwater, beating the previous record of 73 days.
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