Dr. Joseph Dituri Wants To Spend 100 Days Underwater For Science
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Dr. Joseph Dituri is on a mission to spend 100 days underwater. If successful, the University of South Florida (USF) associate professor will set a new record for undersea living. The record is a nice bonus. But the researcher is mainly doing it for science.
He wants to determine if long-term exposure to extreme pressure can help prevent age-related diseases and extend human life. Dr. Dituri also intends to investigate if breathing in oxygen in such settings can help heal brain trauma.
"The human body has never been underwater that long, so I will be monitored closely," Dr. Dituri said. "This study will examine every way this journey impacts my body. But my null hypothesis is that there will be improvements to my health due to the increased pressure."
Dr. Dituri's quest began on March 1, 2023, when he entered the Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida. The two-bedroom hotel sits 30 feet (9 m) deep on the ocean floor. Guests have to scuba dive to get to their rooms. It was built as a marine research center but later converted into an underwater hotel.
The "Neptune 100" mission is expected to end on June 9, 2023. During his 100-day stay, Dr. Dituri will continue teaching USF classes virtually. He will also host discussions with visiting scientists on ways to preserve marine environments.
Additionally, 40 lucky schoolchildren and their guardians will be invited for overnight stays at the underwater lodge. Dr. Dituri hopes the field trips will inspire the students to help protect our oceans.
"Even if I only stayed 60 days, but I turned a whole bunch of kids on to exploring the marine environment, that would be a win," Dr. Dituri told Keys Weekly.
Resources: USF.edu, Smithsonianmag.com
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104 Comments
oakfire2098 monthsI thought this article would be super boring but no it was very entertaining so maybe one day it might be something all humans will do in the future
johncena10over 1 yearthis is very interesting i wonder if he will succeed
astrokittyover 1 yearI don't know about it but it is AWESOME!
faith12over 1 yearcool
jazzeover 1 yearThis is very interesting I wonder if he will succeed.
inaaya_atethatover 1 yearInteresting, it would be common sense not to stay at the top all the time, so I wonder how long his oxygen tank would hold. Valiant move, really, I wonder if his predictions are correct.
adalynnowenover 1 yearI’m glad that they are doing it. They work really hard for the environment and I think that it is important that they take care of the environment. Without them our environment would be TRASH- adalynnowenover 1 yearSome people are just so brave and I think that is a very good thing to do for our environment because lots of people work very hard to make sure we have a safe, healthy, clean, comfortable environment
conogeropegaover 1 yearthis is a interesting artical
thelegendytover 1 yearhow will he do it?????- inaaya_atethatover 1 yearAn oxygen tank.
wolfyisthebestover 1 yearinside a building under water I think