U.S. professor breaks world record by living 74 days in an underwater shelter

University of South Florida professor and former member of the U.S. Navy Joseph Dituri, 55, has. broke the world record for the longest time spent underwater by spending 74 days consecutive days in an underwater shelter in the Florida Keys, where he will continue to remain until completing the 100 days.

The previous record world record for underwater life was 73 daystwo hours and 34 minutes and was established in 2014 by two Tennessee professors, Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain, who were also at Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo ( at the southern tip of Florida).

“Curiosity of discovery has led me here. My goal since day 1 has been to inspire generations to come.to interview scientists studying life underwater and learn how the human body functions in extreme environments,” Dituri wrote on Twitter to report his record.

In his current experiment, which began in Marchthe associate professor at the University of South Florida (USF) is studying how the human body responds to long-term exposure to extreme pressure.

Dituri, also known as ‘Dr. Deep Sea’ (”Dr. Deep Sea”)lives at 30 feet (9.15 meters) deep in a 100-square-foot (9.3-square-meter) habitat, from which continues to teach his online biomedical engineering class.

“With this new record, Dituri has officially reached a territory unknown to science and its research can have an far-reaching impacteven in space,” the USF said in a statement Monday.

The academic has recalled, in this context, that. “it takes 200 days to travel to Mars. and that our astronauts will have to travel to an environment similar” to what it is now: “A confined area that will limits food optionshow they can exercise or the loss of muscle mass, bone mass and vision problems.”

Therefore, this research will serve to “help us to better prepare our astronauts to ensure they arrive healthy and strong enough to explore the planet,” Dituri said.

The ongoing research may not only be beneficial to space travel, but could result from help for people suffering from traumatic brain injuries. through the use of hyperbaric pressure chambers.

USF professor’s hypothesis is that “if hyperbaric pressure can be used to increase cerebral blood flow, then it can be used to treat traumatic brain injuries and a broad spectrum of diseases.”

Before, during, and after the project, Dituri undergoes a series of psychosocial, psychological and medical tests, including blood tests, ultrasounds and electrocardiograms, as well as stem cell testing, he has added.

“This study will look at all the ways in which this journey affects my body, but my hypothesis is that there will be improvements in my health because of the increased pressure,” Dituri, who was a Navy diver for 28 years, has added at the start of the experiment.

His goal is to also delve deeper into the findings of a scientific study that showed that cells exposed to increased pressure doubled in five days.which could be applied to slow down human aging.

The 100-day mission includes testing new technological tools based on artificial intelligence. to detect diseases in the human body and determine whether drugs are needed, and the study of ways to preserve, protect and rehabilitate the marine environment.

“Everything we need to survive is here on the planet,” says Dituri.