A woman has emerged from living in a cave for the first time in 500 days this week, following an extreme scientific experiment.
And, I don't know about you, but that sounds positively terrifying...
Beatriz Flamini - a 50-year-old Spanish athlete - went underground so that scientists would be able to study her in order to learn more about circadian rhythms and the human brain.
Although she was closely monitored by psychologists, personal trainers, cave specialists, and other experts no one was permitted to make contact with her.
Check out the moment she first exited the cave below:
Flamini - who was 230 feet deep in a cave outside Granada - finally emerged on Friday (April 14), surprisingly with a good sense of humor. "When they came in to get me, I was asleep. I thought something had happened. I said: 'Already? Surely not.' I hadn't finished my book," she joked, per Reuters.
Since being in the cave, Flamini has not only broken the world record for the longest time spent in a cave, but she also has missed some major world events - having been deep underground during the outbreak of the Ukraine war and the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.
Having first entered the cave when she was 48, Flamini has also celebrated two birthdays alone underground.
She also used two GoPros to record parts of her time underground, telling the camera (via Yahoo! News): "It's not that the time passes more quickly or more slowly, simply that it doesn't pass, because it's always four in the morning [...] It's been amazing, girl. It's been really amazing."
Being totally alone, Flamini spent most of her time doing exercise, art, and even some knitting! However, after a certain amount of time, Flamini gave up on counting days.
"On day 65 I stopped counting and lost perception of time," she said, adding that there were, of course, both hard and beautiful moments: "If this is your dream, and you're realizing it, why are you going to cry?"
Flamini did reveal to Reuters that her team had helped keep her sustained, sending down fresh avocadoes, eggs, and clean clothes. "I didn't talk to myself out loud, but I had internal conversations and got on very well with myself. You have to remain conscious of your feelings. If you're afraid, that's something natural but never let panic in or you get paralyzed," she admitted.
An avid mountaineer, Flamini revealed that she will first be examined by doctors so they could assess the physiological effects of her time in the cave before she embarked on any new adventures.
