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A professor in biomedical engineering, Joe Dituri, is doing what most of us would consider a nightmare. He will be staying in an underwater habitat off the Florida Keys for 100 days by himself. Has the man not seen Deep Blue 1-3?

The habitat is only 55 square metres and sits underneath 10 metres of ocean. Perhaps not that deep, but still shark country in my opinion.

It’s also not a submarine-like home with solid hatches or air locks between the water and the living space.

Dituri’s habitat more closely resembles a cookie tin turned upside down. According to SA People, this design is essential for his study as it revolves around the effects of hyperbaric pressure – when air pressure is greater than it would be at sea level.

The underwater professor aims to study the effects of higher-than-normal pressure on the human body. His human body. The pressure inside his underwater home will be about twice the amount experienced on dry land.

As every certified diver is well aware, though, hyperbaric pressure can pose a very real threat to us. Our bodies have been adapted by generations of evolution for sea level conditions.

The pressure is not the only thing that will affect Dituri. The loss of sunlight may also upset his circadian rhythm (body clock), and the loss of Vitamin D could harm his health, too. Loss of bone density might also occur due to the lack of exercise in his little cup, the only physical activity being swimming, which is not a very ‘load-bearing’ workout.

For all purposes, Dituri’s stay underwater will be very much like being in space, if space was underwater.

What studies we do have on the effects of hyperbaric pressure have only looked at short-term exposures, which may have shown positive effects on wound healing. This will be both a physiologically and possibly psychologically challenging feat

Have a look at Dituri’s experience below as the professor hopes to stay underwater longer than anyone before, thereby becoming an honorary Little Mermaid.

[source:sapeople]