We all crave a bit of peace and quiet every now and then; just some time to be alone with our thoughts. But silence isn’t as golden as we’ve been led to believe, according to the people who’ve been to the quietest place on Earth. You might expect this to be in a remote part of some great desert whereas, in actual fact, it’s located in a research lab in Minnesota. Inside the anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories, it is so silent you can hear your own blood flowing and bones moving. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Made of 3.3ft-thick fibreglass acoustic wedges and double walls of insulated steel and thick concrete, the room absorbs 99.99 per cent of sound. The conditions within its Fort Knox-style walls are so intense that the longest amount of time anyone’s been able to endure in there is 45 minutes. “We challenge people to sit in the chamber in the dark,” the lab’s founder Steven Orfield told Hearing Aid Know. “When it’s quiet, ears will adapt. The quieter the room, the more things you hear. You’ll hear your heart beating, sometimes you can hear your lungs, hear your stomach gurgling loudly. “In the anechoic chamber, you become the sound." What he means by this is that, with the absence of external noise, your ears are forced to adapt to unimaginable silence and start to focus inwards on your own mind and bodily functions. Furthermore, after as little as 30 minutes subjects begin to hallucinate. Orfield explained that it is also impossible to stay in the room for more than half an hour without sitting down because a person’s orientation is largely grounded in the sounds they make when moving. "How you orient yourself is through sounds you hear when you walk," he told the Daily Mail. In the anechoic chamber, you don't have any cues. "You take away the perceptual cues that allow you to balance and manoeuvre. If you're in there for half an hour, you have to be in a chair." The Quietest Place on Earth: Orfield Laboratories youtu.be For anyone who reckons they could top that 45-minute record, it is possible to experience the chamber for yourself. The Laboratories offer a tour, named “The Anechoic Experience”, which enables participants to take on the challenge, provided they’re willing to fork out a cool $600 (around £470) per hour for the privilege. The Orfield website states: “We have witnessed many seeming miracles, some of which have explanations and some of which remain mysteries, as a result of time spent in our anechoic chamber. “We remain curious about the nature of the chamber's impact on all people, its therapeutic properties, and how it can influence human perception. While anechoic chambers are traditionally used to study products, ours is becoming also about the people. “The Anechoic Experience is designed to be an opportunity to personally inquire about the chamber's therapeutic and spiritual effects.” We reckon we might be better off just lying in bed with the duvet over our heads next time we want a moment's peace. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Comedian Joe Lycett opened up a new art exhibition at They Made This in London’s Covent Garden on Monday, sharing a collection of artwork created by him and his mother, Helen. ‘Lycett & Mummy’ features popular paintings from the comic such as “I drink a crisp, cold beer in a pool in Los Angeles while Gary Lineker looks on in disgust”, “Life gave you lemons and you did f*** all”, and “The Itty Bitty Titty Chris Whitty Committee.” A limited run of four prints were also made available in the store and online, and have already sold out. Original artwork from Lycett went on sale too, including a painting of a pair of testicles which was priced at £4.26 plus a Ritter Sport Butter Biscuit. Joe Lycett said of the exhibition: “Despite an angry and bitter personal relationship, mum and I have a deep mutual respect for our artworks. We are delighted to share these works which should help pay for ongoing family legal disputes.” Mum, Helen added: "Let’s have a joint exhibition,’ he said. ‘I’ll just add a few finishing touches to some of your paintings,’ he didn’t say.” Though even more hilarious was the funnyman making another jab at Liz Truss, who will next month celebrate a whole year since becoming the shortest-serving UK Prime Minister. "Mr Lycett previously mocked the ex-Tory leader during the very first episode of Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg last year, when he was seen cheering and heckling Ms Truss following her interview with the BBC journalist and claimed he was “actually very right-wing and I loved it [the interview]”, sparking memes all over the internet. When Ms Truss sacked Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng following her disastrous “mini-budget”, Lycett penned one of his many tweets directed at the politician saying: “Omg can’t believe he was also part of the anti-growth coalition babe! SO right to get rid.” He added several shocked cat and bin emojis too, for good measure. And it didn’t stop there, as Lycett thanked Ms Truss when he picked up a gong at the National Comedy Awards back in February. “Liz Truss - couldn’t have done it without you, babe,” he joked. He even took out a whole page of Norfolk newspaper to create his own ad reassuring “babe” Ms Truss that she has his "100 per cent continued support". Now, at the ‘Lycett & Mummy’ exhibition this week, a ceramic plate has been put on display marking Ms Truss’ turbulent tenure. Alongside a painting of the pork market-loving MP, he wrote “Liz Truss PM. Our greatest 1.5 months”, adding in the start and end date of her premiership. It’s not for sale, though, with a sign underneath the ceramic at They Made This claiming it is “on loan from Rishi Sunak”. Iconic. Explaining his reasoning for mocking Ms Truss to The News Agents podcast in December last year that he’s been “very angry” with the government since the Partygate scandal. “When they came into that room and I was sat there, I felt the swell of anger. And when I get angry, I get silly. “I don’t shout. I get sort of like, 'How can I make this person look silly?' I'd sort of half planned to be sarcastic on it, but I hadn’t worked out any lines or anything,” he said. ‘Lycett x Mummy’ is free to visit at 66 Neal Street and is open until 1 October. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

One of the NHL's biggest stars and one of its newest stars will meet for the first time when Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins face Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks in the season opener

Senior U.S. officials say President Joe Biden has decided to keep the U.S. Space Command headquarters in Colorado, overturning a last-ditch decision by the Trump administration to move it to Alabama

The U.S. citizenship test is changing, with rollout expected late next year

A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that the Cleveland Browns have acquired kicker Dustin Hopkins in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday

Global equity funds recorded massive outflows in the seven days ending Sept. 20 on concerns that the Federal

The global economy is facing tremendous uncertainty from the war between Hamas and Israel in the Middle East, on top of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Those conflicts don't just threaten the regions where they're unfolding; they may also fray the weakening interconnectedness that remains among the world's largest economies.

The Charlotte Hornets have announced that the sale of the majority stake in the franchise from six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan to Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall has been finalized

'He adored his fans, and I know how much this would mean to him having a final resting place where we could all celebrate his life,' Angel Carter said

Michael Grimm's wife Lucie shares emotional video and updates fans about 'AGT' Season 5 winner's health woes

Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani was the unanimous American League MVP, but the runner-ups could signal where he should sign his next contract.