[Popular Mechanics] Joseph Dituri, a University of South Florida professor, hopes to do more than set a world record by living underwater for 100 days. He hopes to become "superhuman.""The human body has never been underwater that long, so I will be monitored closely," Dituri says in a news release. "This study will examine every way this journey impacts my body, but my null hypotheses is that there will be improvements to my health due to the increased pressure."
"Haven't you heard about shrinkage??"
Dituri, who also served as a saturation diving officer in the U.S. Navy for 28 years, believes that an earlier study—which showed cells exposed to increased pressure doubled within five days—suggests that he can increase his longevity and prevent aging-related diseases by living in a pressurized environment. "So, we suspect I am going to come out super-human," he says.
The 55-year-old Dituri will be staying in a 100-square-foot habitat 30 feet below the surface at Jules’ Undersea Lodge near Key Largo. While he's down there, Dituri will continue teaching his biomedical engineering class online while a medical team documents his health by routinely diving to his habitat to run tests. Before, during, and after the project, Dituri will undergo psychosocial, phycological, and medical tests that include blood panels, ultrasounds, electrocardiograms, and stem cell stets.
