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Living without time: The cave experiment we didn't want to end

Explorer Christian Clot took 14 people into a cave for 40 days to see how living without clocks in darkness changed their perception of time. What happened next surprised them.

Christian Clot is an explorer who travels to the world's most inhospitable places to try and survive. But recently, he worked with scientists on something a little different. Christian took 14 others into a cavernous cave system in south-western France to see what happens to humans' perception of time in the absence of clocks and natural light. They spent 40 days inside and did not expect to react the way they did when told the experiment was over.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Kevin Ponniah
Producer: Kevin Ponniah

Picture: Volunteers leave the Lombrives cave after spending 40 days in darkness, April 2021
Credit: FRED SCHEIBER/AFP via Getty Images

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12 minutes

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