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Perched on a narrow passage, ESA astronaut Marco Sieber stops for a moment to admire the heart of the cave he is set to explore. His journey into the deep is part of ESA?s CAVES training that prepares astronauts for the challenges of spaceflight both as individuals and as a team. Just like in space, the cave imposes isolation, confinement and limited supplies. For four days, an international crew of astronauts descended underground to live and work together, cut off from the outside world. Marco shared the expedition with NASA?s Jasmin ?Jaws? Moghbeli, Makoto Suwa from Japan?s space agency JAXA and Mohammad Al Mulla from MBRSC, the Emirati space agency. Marco?s role for the first two days and nights was to scout the 3.5 km long cave in the Italian Apennines, staying focused for hours on end under real exploration conditions. He was the first one into the unknown. The use of artificial light in constant darkness alters the perception of time and of colour. Beyond his skills as a medical doctor, his fellow explorers describe him as adventurous and humble, always curious to learn new things. Together with Jasmin, he was in charge of mapping the cave, choosing the best path and reporting their progress to the ground. All roles were swapped halfway through the expedition. The team of ?cavenauts? navigated sloping and uneven terrain, keeping situational awareness at all times. They overcame vertical drops of 20 metres using newly acquired rope climbing skills and organised the campsite that became their home. Over four dark days, they discovered a new world and new things about themselves and each other.

Space

See an astronaut prepare for spaceflight by journeying through a cave

Marco Sieber is part of an international team of astronauts who spent four days living and working in a cave for a European Space Agency training programme

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Technology

Memory chips just 10 atoms thick could vastly increase capacity

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Space

The moon’s largest crater didn’t form in the way we thought

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Health

Selfish sperm see older fathers pass on more disease-causing mutations

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Chemistry

Nobel prize in chemistry awarded for work on molecular architecture

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Health

There are five types of sleep – here’s what that means for your health

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Chemistry

Biodegradable plastic made from bamboo is strong and easy to recycle

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Physics

Nobel prize for physics goes to trio behind quantum computing chips

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Space

Galaxies fling out matter much more violently than we thought

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Space

General relativity might save some planets from death

Some habitable worlds orbiting dead stars could be kept alive for aeons thanks to a quirk of Einstein’s theory of gravity

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Earth

Shackleton knew his doomed ship wasn’t the strongest before sailing

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Health

Nobel prize for medicine goes to trio for work on immune tolerance

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Life

Would a ban on genetic engineering of wildlife hamper conservation?

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Mind

Your happiness in life may not be U-shaped – here’s how it could vary

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