The Economic Times

Key Largo used a sealed underwater habitat 22 feet below the surface to test prolonged human immersion; the result revealed a startling effect as a professor emerged after 100 days with his spine compressed and his height reduced by half an inch

Joseph Dituri spent 100 days underwater in a 100-square-foot habitat near Key Largo, Florida. The extreme experiment changed more than his routine. He reported being about half an inch shorter after resurfacing. His spine had adapted to prolonged pressure and confinement. The finding offers a striking lesson about the human body. Height is not always fixed. Pressure, gravity, movement and rest can all reshape how we measure ourselves.