Experiment in an Ice Cave for 63 Days: How a Scientist Discovered Chronobiology.

Siffre's Experiment in the Glacial Cave

According to ТСН: In 1962, French geologist Michel Siffre descended into a glacial cave in the Alps to explore a new ice mass. His experiment lasted for 63 days and became the foundation of a new science - human chronobiology.

Siffre, a young graduate of Sorbonne, decided to conduct research without a clock, natural light, or any time cues. At a depth of over 130 meters, he lived in darkness, at sub-zero temperatures, and with high humidity. His only references were notebooks and his own sensations.

When he returned to the surface, Siffre was astonished: his perception of time had shifted by several weeks. Psychological time had contracted, and the rhythm of sleep and wakefulness had been disrupted. His 'day' lasted more than 24 hours, and in subsequent experiments sometimes stretched to 48 hours.

The results of his research met skepticism from scientists but eventually became the basis for new studies on biological rhythms. In similar experiments after Siffre, volunteers also demonstrated unusual sleep cycles and significant fluctuations in their internal 'clocks.'

Despite criticism of his risky working style and concerns about the impact on underground ecosystems, Siffre's discoveries piqued the interest of military and space agencies. American and French defense programs, as well as NASA, used his data to model sleep patterns in isolation—from submarines to space missions.

Although repeating such experiments today is unlikely due to risks to mental and physical health, their impact remains significant. Siffre's research helped to understand the mechanisms of circadian rhythms, the work of genes responsible for the sleep cycle, and the behavior of certain types of cancer cells.

Siffre himself referred to the caves as 'places of discovery.' Isolated from the world for two months, he effectively created a new direction in biology that continues to influence science in studying human internal time.

Let's recall that scientists have detected a disturbing signal in polar waters: they found genetic material from a virus associated with severe diseases and mass mortality of marine mammals in the exhalations of arctic whales.

Michel Siffre's research opened a new chapter in the study of human biology and the specifics of time perception. His findings provided a major impetus for further investigations in the field of chronobiology and affected methods of improving living conditions in isolation, which is particularly relevant for space missions and underwater activities.