I go to Canada every year and spend at least a month in a forest in the middle of nowhere. The deprivation of the modern world takes time to wear off. After a full week of no stimulation, the effects take hold and suddenly I feel like I can talk with the wind. Every moment seems more alive and worth living. James experienced this at an In the Dark event in London, described as “like a prayer” when you go all-in and listen to music in the dark. Something similar is now being reported by science.

A woman lived in a dark cave for five days and her senses became more alive. Food was tastier.

It all started in November 2024, when bioengineer Kiana Aran entered complete darkness. For five days, she lived alone in a cave-like chamber in rural western Poland, cut off from light, sound, and time. She was fitted with a suite of biosensors. (Poland has wonderful underground salt caves, as well, for other health experiments.)

The experiment, later reported in Nature as part of its Sensors Spotlight, was a scientific inquiry into how the human body recalibrates in the absence of external stimuli.

Aran, a scientist at the University of California, San Diego, tracked herself continuously using wearable and molecular sensors, including EEG monitoring, a glucose sensor, an Oura Ring, and multi-omics sampling before, during, and after the retreat.

On entering the cave, my taste perception changed drastically. Food was intense and delicious. I never knew exactly what I was eating, but I remember certain foods by texture alone: the firmness of broccoli, the smoothness of soups, the crunch of nuts. My proteomic data, measured later, confirmed what my senses had been trying to tell me: proteins linked to taste receptors had shifted significantly, mirroring my heightened perception.

What emerged was a rare, data-rich portrait of biological adaptation. With no circadian cues, Aran’s sleep became fragmented, with REM and dream-like states appearing throughout the day. Her glucose levels remained unusually stable, even after consuming sweets, suggesting more efficient metabolic uptake when sunlit cues are not available. Proteomic analysis later indicated changes linked to taste perception, echoing her subjective experience of heightened flavor sensitivity in darkness.

Her microbiome responses varied by body site. While gut microbiota remained largely stable, microbial communities on the skin and in saliva shifted rapidly, acting as early indicators of environmental stress and adaptation. Together, the data showed that different biological systems respond to isolation on very different timelines, she reported.

“The darkness also gave me dreams that were so vivid they felt real,” she said. “One night, I saw my mother, my cousin and my late grandmother, who had long since passed, sitting together, laughing softly over an iPad. They looked so alive, so close, separated from me only by a glass door.”

Beyond physiology, the experiment underscored the communicative power of environment. While Aran’s internal experience of darkness was deeply personal, marked by vivid dreams and altered perception, the data allowed her to translate that experience into something shareable, analyzable, and comparable.

In an era when sensors increasingly mediate how we understand health, cities, and the environment, the cave experiment offers a striking reminder: technology does not replace human experience, but it can make the invisible visible.

Or as Karin Kloosterman from Green Prophet says: use some common sense and just get out in nature. Drop the sensors — and the need to biohack your life better than the next guy.

The post Everything is better when you spend 5 days in a cave appeared first on Green Prophet.

Founding director of Tel Aviv’s Diaspora Museum and the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, Yeshayahu Weinberg first convened an international meeting with the idea to devote an entire museum specifically Polish Jews back in the 1990s.

An international design competition was launched and Finland’s Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects beat a host of “starchitects” with their spectacular bid, including Kengo Kuma, Daniel Libeskind and David Chipperfield.

Located in the Willy Brandt Park that is in turn surrounded by residential buildings, the museum is clad in green-tinged, double laminated glass panels and pre-treated perforated copper panels. Curvy, free-form concrete walls hug a large light-filled main hall that comprises the most important feature of this design.

Well-lit and ventilated, the building maintains a peaceful, reflective environment – quite similar to the underground Mosque in Turkey that recently created quite the buzz in Singapore, at the World Architecture Festival.

While the load-bearing curved walls presented an engineering challenge and mitigates the kind of sterile environment that so many museums accidentally exude, the design is deceptively simple, and helps to keep the building’s overall footprint to 4,400 square meters.

Albeit a rather significant space, a variety of functions are contained therein, including a library, restaurant, cafeteria, shop, auditorium, office space and classrooms.

Nor is the museum devoted to the Holocaust alone, though certainly that disgraceful period in human history is carefully introduced. After all, half a million Jews thrived in Warsaw prior to World War II and three million were killed throughout the holocaust.

The museum is located across from a memorial that commemorates the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943, separated by a large square. It is also, according to the designers, “the biggest uniform, geometrically double curving surface that has ever been realised.”

It is interesting to note that the design was conceived long before the current green building furor arose, and so – whilst infused with an elegant simplicity that gets straight to the business of telling the story of the Polish Jews – the museum is not particularly earth-friendly.

Nor is it absolved from adhering to the same improved energy efficiency standards as any other urban, commercial or residential structure. Nonetheless, there is no question that a great deal of respect and thought has gone into this magnificent project, which is expected to draw half a million visitors each year.

:: Dezeen

The post Breathtaking New Museum on Warsaw Ghetto Site Commemorates Polish Jews appeared first on Green Prophet.

The house is so skinny you can hardly see it squeezed between these two larger buildings.

The image on the left of Etgar Keret was taken by Bartek Warzecha and came from the writer’s official Facebook page.

This is the westward side of the home. Notice the grid panel that allows natural light and ventilation to penetrate the interior.

The door almost seems wider than the house, which will be used as a studio for invited guests – young creators and intellectualists from all over the world, according to a statement from the design team.

“The residential program, conducted in the heart of Wola, is supposed to produce creative work conditions and become a significant platform for world intellectual exchange.”

Images via Etgar Keret; Wikicommons; two lower photos via EK News

The post Etgar Keret’s Skinny House in Poland appeared first on Green Prophet.

Keret House, also known as the world’s thinnest home, was designed for Israeli writer Etgar Keret. The art installation which has filled the void of 1.3 m between two houses in the Warsaw district of Wola was designed by Polish architect Jakub Szczęsny from the Centrala collective.

Online and print news sources around the world are calling the Keret House the thinnest in the world and it is finally open. Renowned Israeli writer Etgar Keret commissioned Jakub Szczensy of Centrala to design the tiny ‘crack-house’ as a tribute to his Polish family who were killed during the World War II holocaust.

Both art and architecture, but hardly a leisurely space for lounging, the little dwelling is squeezed between two buildings on 22 Chłodna St. and 74 Żelazna St and measures a mere 133 centimeters in the widest interior spot.

The idea was to design a unique rendezvous spot for creative movers and shakers to explore new ideas without eating up either space or resources. And, well, they won’t be doing much of that. Check out our earlier post for more details on the parasitic house, 3 foot narrow at its narrowest and 5 feet at its widest:

The post Keret House: The World’s Thinnest, Most Insane House is Now Open appeared first on Green Prophet.

Remarkably, the narrow Keret House will feature just about all of the amenities of a “normal” home, including a kitchen, bathroom, workstation and a bedroom.

Furniture has to be no more than 4 feet wide to ensure that there is plenty of space for passage, but with only 48 square feet to work with, furnishings will be kept to an absolute minimum.

The home is reached through remote-controlled steps that extend and retract, so once everyone is safely inside the small space, it’s possible to close up the steps to ensure ultimate privacy.

Construction of the prefabricated steel structure is underway just outside of Warsaw and the home is slated for completion by October, 2012. Once that happens, leading intellectuals will be invited to enjoy the unique creative work conditions in the heart of Wola.

:: Centrala

More Tiny, Minimalist Homes:

Simple Wave House is a Minimalist Home in Turkey

Sleek Prefab LoftCube in Lebanon is the Ultimate Home for Nomads

Woman Builds Off-Grid Home in Turkey for Just $3,761

The post Famous Israeli Writer Commissions 4-foot Wide Parasitic House appeared first on Green Prophet.

During the past week, the Eilat Eilot Renewable Energy Conference took place in Israel and several companies struck deals and agreements were signed. Chicago and Jerusalem formed an environmental partnership, while Poland and the US city of Akron signed water deals. Check below for these stories and the rest of this week’s headlines.

Partnerships
1. Israel and Chicago Form Historic Environmental Partnership
“We need mammoth human collaboration in order to surmount our global environmental problems. And let’s face it, we have a few of those: coral reefs potentially a thing of the past by 2050, oil set to peak just as the demand for it increases, and water- the source of all life – already a luxury commodity in places like Yemen. But it isn’t over till it’s over. In recognition of their numerous challenges, but determined to overcome them, two cities are planning to create mutual solutions…”

2. Israel and Poland sign agreement on water, energy (Roundup)
” Israel and Poland signed a joint declaration of cooperation on water supply and sustainable energy technology Thursday, as the two countries held a joint cabinet meeting that Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu said would strengthen ties…”

3. Akron inks deal for water security
“Akron plans to spend about $3.5 million to upgrade the security of its water-treatment facilities…”

Investment
4. “Cleantech funding focuses on mature cos”
“One of the questions that have been raised about the global cleantech industry is whether venture capital funds can finance companies in the field, and bring them to an exit…”

5. Israel Cleantech Ventures Raising $100 Million for Energy Innovation
‘Israel Cleantech Ventures, the tiny but talented nation’s first cleantech-focused fund, is now more than halfway to raising a $100 million fund, according to a filing this week…”

Transportation
6. Proposed California Bill Could Be Big for Israel’s Innowattech
“Energy Harvesting Journal posted earlier today that California Assemblyman Mike Gatto has proposed a bill that would require the state to use piezoelectric technology on its highways. The technology generates electricity from the vibrations on the road that are created by passing vehicles…”

Water
7. Israel’s IDE Uses Waste Heat in China for “Greener” Desalinated Water
“Israel has been a world leader in desalination technology and projects by through companies like Tahal and IDE Technologies. IDE has already constructed more than 400 desalination plants in 40 countries, including at least 3 in Israel – the world’s largest reverse osmosis plants. Now IDE is expanding its foreign operations even more by signing a deal with China’s large Tianjin SDIC electricity company to build four additional Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) desalination units, each with a production capacity of 25,000 cubic meters of distilled water per day. The idea is to power the plants using wasted heat from other sources…”

Missed last week’s headlines edition? Catch up on green software, Israel’s cleantech plan, how Israel will lead the search for oil substitutes, and more.

Image via moaksey.

The post Israel Cleantech Intelligence: Renewable Energy and 6 Headlines appeared first on Green Prophet.

It was confirmed. She was there during the Chernobyl nuclear explosion.

Poland was not immune to the effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that spat radioactive dust across the northern hemisphere landing as far as Ireland, Scandinavia and Israel.

For years after the blast originating in the Ukraine, Westerners were told not to consume wine and foodstuffs from the Ukraine, Belarus and Russia – for fear of subjecting oneself to untold amounts of nuclear radiation.

Was my Aunt Hana affected by the nuclear blast? Who knows. At least she had Canada to house her, I thought to myself while wondering about the people who still lived in the areas around and about the Ukraine, some estimated 5 to 8 million people who today carry the legacy of Chernobyl in their hearts, minds, tissues and bones.

GreenPeace, an international environmental advocacy group best known for its’ ‘save the whales’ campaigns, this year made a special commemoration of the Chernobyl explosion of April 1986 in the hopes of preventing such another disaster from happening again.

Showcased in Israel, GreenPeace held a special photo exhibit and movie screening on some of the untold life-stories left in the aftermath of Chernobyl.

The exhibition was launched in the presence of the First Secretary of the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel and included the movie ‘Chernobyl Heart’ which documented the disaster on the children of Chernobyl. The movie was followed by a panel discussion involving Chernobyl survivors and Greenpeace nuclear campaigners.

GreenPeace had commissioned Dutch photographer Robert Knoth to take 80 portraits of nuclear survivors suffering the long-term consequences of radiation.

Rethinking the use of nuclear energy is particularly important now, he notes, especially when developing countries such as India are eager to begin taking advantage of what seems like an endless supply of energy that nuclear technology can produce.

Furthermore, using nuclear technology for energy only leads to nuclear proliferation, explains Gideon, and the world should be particularly concerned on that front with regards to what is happening right now in North Korea and Iran.

Gideon explains, “No industry is without its mistakes. Things go wrong sometimes. Just look at the rockets designed by NASA. Even they explode sometimes. Nobody can give us a guarantee.”

That is why people should remember what happened at Chernobyl and be more cautious and fearful to jump to nuclear technology instead of pursuing alternative energy such as solar, biomass or wind power.

Also unspent nuclear fuel never goes away and is left for generations upon generations to deal with its harmful radioactivity.

GreenPeace plans to continue campaigning against the dangers of nuclear technology and through a report released this year, attempt to show the world some of the misconstrued facts surrounding the Chernobyl explosion.

“We released an international report this year which talks about how the organizations involved in Chernobyl were distorting facts,” says Gideon. “Even the World Health Organization (WHO) claimed that only several hundred people were killed by Chernobyl. The numbers our scientists found were closer to 40,000 people. This is a big gap,” adds Gideon.

One could say, for those from the Chernobyl area that life has gone on. Millions continue to live in the region, and those who have had the ability, have made other countries their homes – like the 100,000 Ukrainians who have moved to Israel since 1986. Israel is home to the fourth largest number of Chernobyl survivors, says GreenPeace.

But these immigrants from the Ukraine, who have moved to new countries in Europe, America or in the Middle East can’t wash away the memories and radiation exposure they have suffered through.

And who knows how many thousands or millions more were affected by Chernobyl – even you and me – and don’t know it?

“The radioactive cloud from Chernobyl spread over large parts of Europe and Asia, and even reached North America and Africa,” says Gideon. “And unconfirmed reports indicate that radiation reached Israel. Nuclear energy is a threat to everyone as it is not possible to have 100% secure or safe nuclear technology.”

Radiation exposure causes cancer, reproductive damage, mutations in children and shaves years off the lifespan of people. It also lingers in the precious food chain of nature – in the bodies of animals, in the blades of grass that they eat and the food we eventually take into our homes.

After many years with a lull in nuclear technology, it is good to know groups such as GreenPeace are working to show the world once again excited by “going nuclear” that dangers loom ahead in this direction.

Back at the time when women were burning bras and screaming ‘Ban the Bomb,’ Greenpeace had already started working on nuclear issues. Its first action against nuclear testing was off the coast of Alaska in the early 70s. Since then Greenpeace has been campaigning on nuclear energy and disarmament issues all around the world.

Remembering Chernobyl is important, says GreenPeace’s Gideon, “because the survivors are still there and here. It is not like something that happened in the past. Children are still growing up feeling the effects of the radiation. It’s awful.”

Chernobyl was an event to reaffirm why nuclear energy is not a solution but an expensive diversion, says GreenPeace. “We can address climate change more cleanly, cheaply and peacefully using renewable energy and energy efficiency measures. With today’s technology we can generate almost six times the current global energy demand through renewable energy like wind and solar.”

GreenPeace and our future generations are looking to us to make the responsible choice in securing energy needs of the future. If we make the right steps, we can prevent another Chernobyl from ever happening again.

The post Greenpeace, Israel, Chernobyl and Thoughts on Nuclear Power appeared first on Green Prophet.