Professor Joseph Dituri, 55, a professor at the University of South Florida and a former member of the US Navy, broke the world record for staying underwater by spending 74 consecutive days at an underwater refuge in the Florida Keys (southern US), where it will continue until the 100 days have passed .

The previous world record for underwater life was 73 days, 2 hours and 34 minutes and was set in 2014 by 2 professors from Tennessee, Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain.who were also at the Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo (at the southern tip of Florida).

“Curiosity to discover brought me here. My goal since day 1 has been to inspire future generations, interview scientists who study underwater life and learn how the human body works in extreme environments,” Dituri wrote on Twitter to report his track record.

In his current experiment, which began in March, the associate professor at the University of South Florida (USF) studies how the human body responds to prolonged exposure to extreme pressure.

Dituri, also known as “Dr. Deep Sea” (“Dr. Deep Sea”), lives 30 feet (9.15 meters) deep in a habitat of 100 square feet (9.3 square meters)from where he continues to teach his biomedical engineering classes online.

“With this new record, Dituri has officially entered uncharted territory for science and his research could have far-reaching consequences, even in space,” the USF said in a statement Monday.

In this regard, the academic recalled that “it will take 200 days to travel to Mars and our astronauts will have to travel to a similar environment” to the one they are in now: “A confined space that limits food options, how can they do from exercise or loss of muscle mass, bone and vision problems.

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

Ongoing research may not only be beneficial for space travel, but may also help people with traumatic brain injuries through the use of hyperbaric pressure chambers.

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

Better health?

Before, during and after the project, Dituri will undergo a series of psychosocial, psychological and medical tests, including blood tests, ultrasounds and electrocardiograms, as well as stem cell tests, it added.

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

The aim is also to elaborate on the conclusions of a scientific study that showed that cells exposed to greater pressure doubled in size in five days, which could be applied to slow down human aging.

The 100-day mission will include testing new AI-based technological tools to detect diseases in the human body and determine whether medicines are needed, and studying ways to conserve, protect and restore the marine environment.

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