russian survival experiment footage

Why the Horrors of the 'Russian Sleep Experiment' Probably Didn't Happen

This animation investigates the facts behind this pervasive urban myth.

Especially if you haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately, you might wonder just how long you can go on like that. Exactly how long could you stay awake without cracking as a result of sleep deprivation? Some people say there was an over-the-top experiment for that. Experts are quick to debunk it.

The Russian Sleep Experiment is a popular urban myth which began to circulate online in "creepypasta" forums (so-named for the ease with which you could copy-paste spooky content) in the early 2010s. But could this deeply unsettling legend have had some roots in fact?

The story goes that Soviet-era scientists created a stimulant which they believed would enable soldiers to not require sleep for up to 30 days. They decided to test their new gas on five prisoners, promising them their freedom upon completion of the experiment. They locked the five men in a hermetically sealed chamber and began pumping in the gas. Within a few days, the men were exhibiting the kind of paranoia and psychosis that is a typical symptom of sleep deprivation. But as time went on, they began to act even more strangely.

15 days into the experiment, when scientists could no longer see the men through the thick glass of the chamber, or hear them through the microphones, they filled the room with fresh air and unlocked it. There, they discovered that one of the men was dead, and the four surviving test subjects were all sporting horrendously violent injuries, some of which appeared to be self-inflicted.

Attempts to sedate the men were either unsuccessful, or led to their deaths the moment they lost consciousness. Finally, when one of the researchers asked what exactly these men had become, the last surviving test subject told him that they represented the potential for evil that exists in all human beings, which is usually contained by sleep, but had been unleashed by their constant wakefulness. Chilling stuff.

Is any of the Russian Sleep Experiment actually true?

According to a video from The Infographics Channel on YouTube, which provides animated summaries of events from history, current events and literature, the Russian sleep experiment almost certainly has its basis in fiction. For one thing, there's the fact that the story's sole original source seems to be a website dedicated to telling creepy (made-up) stories. But even the science doesn't hold up.

Experts are quick to refute this myth as well. There's no scientific ground proving that gas (or any other substance, for that matter) can keep a person awake for 30 days, says Po-Chang Hsu, MD , an internal medicine physician and medical content expert at SleepingOcean. “Some drugs and high caffeine dosages may grant a couple of days without shut-eye, but 30 is impossible,” he says.

Additionally, this experiment is unlikely because of the effect sleep deprivation has on the brain, Dr. Hsu says.

“Even after a few days, a person can start hallucinating, which would make it extremely hard for them to perform simple daily actions, let alone deal with military assignments that require extreme focus,” he says.

So how long can someone truly stay awake?

The current documented world record for staying awake is a bit longer than 11 days , which was achieved by Randy Gardner in 1963. Gardner experienced severe behavioral and cognitive changes during those 11 days (even though he wanted to prove that nothing bad would happen when a person doesn’t sleep), Dr. Hsu says. He also experienced mood swings, memory issues, severe difficulty focusing, paranoia and hallucinations.

While there is some truth to the claims that amphetamines have been used to keep soldiers alert in historical times of war, there is no scientific evidence of a gas existing that could keep anyone awake for 15 days. And studies have found that after just 48 hours without sleep, people tend to become slower, disoriented, prone to making mistakes, and ultimately less effective as a soldier.

“Since the brain can’t function properly after being sleep-deprived for 11 days, it’s safe to assume things would get much worse if one tries to stay awake longer,” he says. “Consequently, those soldiers would’ve been useless even if they miraculously managed not to sleep for 30 days.”

Still, whoever came up with the story of the Russian sleep experiment in the first place deserves points for their creative writing... if not for medical accuracy.

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Watch: Did the Russian sleep experiment actually happen?

In the 1940s, a group of Russian researchers sealed five prison inmates in an airtight chamber. The prisoners were dosed with an experimental gas that would prevent them from sleeping. Their conversations were electronically monitored, and their behaviour was observed through secret two-way mirrors. Source: Waffles at Noon

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Was the Russian Sleep Experiment Real?

An account describing the horrific results of a 'russian sleep experiment' from the late 1940s is a work of modern creepy fiction., david mikkelson, published aug. 27, 2013.

About this rating

A popular creepy online tale of a "Russian Sleep Experiment" (with the improbable title tag of "Orange Soda") involves Soviet researchers who kept five people awake for fifteen consecutive days through the use of an "experimental gas based stimulant" and opens as follows:

Russian researchers in the late 1940's kept five people awake for fifteen days using an experimental gas based stimulant. They were kept in a sealed environment to carefully monitor their oxygen intake so the gas didn't kill them, since it was toxic in high concentrations. This was before closed circuit cameras so they had only microphones and 5 inch thick glass porthole sized windows into the chamber to monitor them. The chamber was stocked with books, cots to sleep on but no bedding, running water and toilet, and enough dried food to last all five for over a month. [Remainder of article here .]

This account isn't a historical record of a genuine 1940s sleep deprivation research project gone awry, however. It's merely a bit of supernatural fiction that gained widespread currency on the Internet after appearing on Creepypasta (a site for "short stories designed to unnerve and shock the reader") in August 2010.

By David Mikkelson

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.

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The Russian Sleep Experiment And Why We Believe In Urban Legends

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The Russian sleep experiment is often used as an example of the horrific experiments humans have carried out on each other – only, it never actually happened.

Dr. Russell Moul

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Russell is a Science Writer with IFLScience and has a PhD in the History of Science, Medicine and Technology.

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Did you get got by the urban legend? 

Image credit: Navid Linnemann/Shutterstock.com, modified by IFLScience 

In 1947, a covert Soviet test facility carried out experiments into sleep. The researchers took several test subjects – prison inmates – and sealed them in an airtight space that was then filled with an experimental stimulant gas designed to prevent sleep. Over the next few weeks, the researchers planned to observe their hapless test subjects by way of hidden microphones and two-way mirrors.

At first things ran smoothly, but after a week the test subjects began to exhibit signs of stress. They became withdrawn and paranoid, whispering into the microphones about their fellow inmates. But then, a few days later, the screaming started. The prisoners suddenly turned frantic, they ranted and raved, and screamed themselves horse. Some apparently screamed so hard they practically ruptured their vocal cords. And then it all went silent.

The experience was terrifying, so the experimenters tried to stop the study and open the chamber. However, they were stopped from doing so when a voice, one of the prisoners, announced “We no longer wish to be freed”.

By the time the researchers cut the gas and opened the chamber a few days later, most of the inmates were dead, apparently having mutilated themselves or one another. Some had reportedly resorted to cannibalism. Those who remained alive were in a state of psychosis, refusing to leave and refusing to sleep again. Of course, the Soviet authorities tried to remove all evidence of this grisly event from the record.

If you are familiar with this story, or some version of it, then congratulations, you have come across an urban legend that has made its way onto the internet in recent years. The Russian Sleep Experiment , as it is known, was originally a creepypasta story – a kind of short horror story designed to sound plausible – that has now mutated into a living urban legend. Much like the popular Slender Man that lurked and crept its way from a work of internet fiction to very real tragic events , the Russian Sleep Experiment now has a life beyond the authors who originally created it.

But what makes stories like this so “believable”? Or, to put it another way, why do some stories become urban legends when others do not, and why do we accept them?

A new folklore 

Urban legends are effectively a form of modern folklore. The stories can vary in their content, from the mundane culinary experience – the Kentucky fried mouse story – and creature sightings – alligators in the sewers – to the supernatural encounters like Slender Man and the Vanishing Hitchhiker . All these stories are united by a sense of strangeness, albeit to varying degrees, as well as a sliver of believability.

This is an important factor for a budding urban legend. No matter how ridiculous, or worrying the content, it has to have a small amount of credibility to survive. This is usually achieved by combining elements of the familiar with the unfamiliar, but only in measured doses.

Previous research into the popularity of folk stories, such as those in the Grimm Brother’s fairy tales, has shown that the more popular narratives are those that only use a few supernatural components. For instance, Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella are fantastical stories with a few references to the weird, but they are also recognizable and extremely popular. In contrast, The Donkey Lettuce (sometimes Cabbage), which appears in the same collection of stories is filled with supernatural elements and yet is barely known.

It seems our minds have a credibility threshold beyond which our critical thinking starts to object. The same may be true for urban legends. If they include too many surprising details, then the story becomes less enjoyable or believable.

The psychology of urban legends

In terms of psychology, this could be explained in relation to thinking styles and what is known as the dual processing model . According to this idea, we have two ways of processing information that are distinct but nevertheless interrelated.

Essentially this is a kind of “system one” and “system two” approach, Dr Neil Dagnall , a cognitive and parapsychological researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University, told IFLScience. The former favors emotional, instinctive, and subjective evaluations and the latter focuses on objective and critical thinking. 

[P]eople are likely to engage with urban legends because they're interesting anecdotes or something topical. So [people] latch on to it from that subjective side, and then are less interested in validating its accuracy and more interested in the story for the story's sake. Dr Neil Dagnall

Although these processes work in parallel, each style draws on different cognitive resources. Critical thinking , which relies on established rules of logical reasoning, is more mentally taxing. It’s intentional and attentional, whereas emotional thinking is less demanding, relying on general cognitive processes to interpret information, and is mostly automatic.

Previous research into dual processing theories has found that belief in paranormal phenomena is closely related to “system one” thinking, that is, intuitive rather than critical thinking. So perhaps something like that is happening with the belief in urban legends.

“[P]eople are likely to engage with urban legends because they're interesting,” Dr Dagnall explained. “They're nice little stories, or they're interesting anecdotes, or something that's topical. So [people] latch on to it from that subjective side, and then are less interested in validating its accuracy and more interested in the story for the story's sake.”

This explanation contrasts with others that try to view humans as simply being prone to believing outlandish ideas, that they are generally non-discerning. Or, as psychologist Gordon Pennycook argues, humans will generally believe “ bullshit ”.

Essentially, this suggests some people are simply not discerning and will rely on system one thinking. They are not particularly selective with the information they believe and instead endorse things that are not true. As such, they will believe any form of bullshit, from urban legends to paranormal events to ridiculous conspiracy theories .

But Dagnall believes there is more going on here. We know, for instance, that even within the conspiracy theory world, believers in one claim may not necessarily believe in another. For instance, he explains, “I might think Elvis faked his death, I might think Elvis was murdered, but I don't necessarily think that's true of Marilyn Monroe.” Equally, someone who believes in the Flat Earth conspiracies may not necessarily believe in aliens or be opposed to vaccinations.

Although it is true that people who believe in conspiracies often do have other unusual beliefs, the situation is more complicated and contextual than simply saying they just believe “bullshit”.

Even “within people who engage with urban legends,” Dagnall says, “they're going to be more critical of some of those urban legends than other ones, and the degree to which they're susceptible to them will be influenced by other factors, such as how plausible they think they are.”

At the same time, because of the rise of the internet and social media, how such stories spread has changed. Not only is it easier for people to circulate various new urban legends across the internet, but many of us are also too busy to apply critical thinking to everything we see.

“There’s less opportunity to evaluate stories or to deal with them...," Dagnall notes. "[I]n the past, if you just get it in an email and you may get a precautionary thing, it's more likely to be the focus of your attention. Now, you just get them popping up all over the place.”

This returns us to credibility. Good urban legends are stories that have something believable about them. So the alligators in the sewers story, for instance, works well because it has historical precedence in places where they are native. It is therefore plausible that alligators or crocodiles may have infiltrated other sewer systems, even in places like New York City .

This too is true for the Russian Sleep Experiment story. The Soviet Union is remembered as a cruel and barbaric regime that demonstrated a staggering disregard for human life, especially under Joseph Stalin. Couple this with contemporary stories about unethical human experiments, such as those performed by the Nazis in the Second World War , or the CIA's Project MKUltra and you have the framework for a believable narrative about abused inmates and sinister experiments.

So like any worthy urban legend, the story may not be true, but for some it may nevertheless feel like it could be.

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Fact Check: 'Russian Sleep Experiment' Was NOT Real Event

• Jan 25, 2022
• by: Lead Stories Staff

Was the "Russian Sleep Experiment" a real historical event? No, that's not true: The "experiment" is a product of the creepypasta genre -- which consists of user-generated, horror-related content that spreads easily online -- and is not based on a historical account.

The claim, which has appeared in various iterations online, reappeared in a Facebook post (archived here ) on February 1, 2020. The post included a black-and-white image of a human-like creature and opened:

The Russian Sleep Experiment purports to recount an experiment that took place at a test facility in the Soviet Union in the late 1940s. In a military-sanctioned scientific experiment, five political prisoners were kept in a sealed gas chamber, with a continually administered airborne stimulant for the purpose of keeping the subjects awake for 15 continuous days. The prisoners are falsely promised freedom if they complete the experiment.

The post went on to describe how the political prisoners gradually, then swiftly, spiraled into violence and self-mutilation. The subjects all eventually died.

This is what the post looked like on Facebook on January 25, 2022:

The story of the Russian Sleep Experiment has been debunked by numerous outlets, including Snopes . According to a video created by Creepypasta Wiki , the story seemed to have originated in 2009 on an online forum. The story then appeared on the Creepypasta Wiki website in 2010 and was posted by a user known as Orange Soda.

The picture used in the Facebook post is of a Spazm prop, a Halloween prop of a monstrous-looking human in a straitjacket. That image can be found in a popular YouTube video of a reading of the Russian Sleep Experiment here and in the screenshot of the video included below:

(Source: YouTube screenshot taken on Tue Jan 25 18:36:00 2022 UTC)

The story may have been inspired by the unethical experiments committed against human subjects during World War II, particularly those that took place in Nazi concentration camps . However, there is no legitimate record of the Russian Sleep Experiment.

Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet. Spotted something? Let us know! .

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The Russian Sleep Experiment

Widely regarded as one of the most popular and widest spread Creepypastas ever written, The Russian Sleep experiment is notorious as much for the gruesome nature of its content as for its plausibility. To this day, a large portion of the articles written about the story are attempts to investigate its validity or to debunk it as a hoax, something that speaks not only to the story’s effectiveness but also to the deeper societal anxieties to which the story appeals.  

For those who don’t know, The Russian Sleep Experiment is a supposedly factual account of experimentation acted out on subjects by the Soviet government and military in the wake of world war 2. The experiment, ostensibly meant to explore the effects of sleep deprivation on the human body was also used to test a new gas that could keep people awake for days at a time. The ‘report’ documents the degeneration of those experimented upon, individuals commonly referred to within the Creepypasta community as ‘The Test Subjects’. The horrifying results of these experiments and the crazed almost subhuman or demonic creatures it produces are often illustrated alongside the story with one image in particular being representative of the entire myth.

Russian Sleep Experiment Creepypasta Story

Russian researchers in the late 1940s kept five people awake for fifteen days using an experimental gas based stimulant. They were kept in a sealed environment to carefully monitor their oxygen intake so the gas didn’t kill them, since it was toxic in high concentrations. This was before closed circuit cameras so they had only microphones and 5 inch thick glass porthole sized windows into the chamber to monitor them. The chamber was stocked with books, cots to sleep on but no bedding, running water and toilet, and enough dried food to last all five for over a month.

The test subjects were political prisoners deemed enemies of the state during World War II.

Everything was fine for the first five days; the subjects hardly complained having been promised (falsely) that they would be freed if they submitted to the test and did not sleep for 30 days. Their conversations and activities were monitored and it was noted that they continued to talk about increasingly traumatic incidents in their past, and the general tone of their conversations took on a darker aspect after the 4 day mark.

After five days they started to complain about the circumstances and events that lead them to where they were and started to demonstrate severe paranoia. They stopped talking to each other and began alternately whispering to the microphones and one way mirrored portholes. Oddly they all seemed to think they could win the trust of the experimenters by turning over their comrades, the other subjects in captivity with them. At first the researchers suspected this was an effect of the gas itself…

After nine days the first of them started screaming. He ran the length of the chamber repeatedly yelling at the top of his lungs for 3 hours straight, he continued attempting to scream but was only able to produce occasional squeaks. The researchers postulated that he had physically torn his vocal cords. The most surprising thing about this behavior is how the other captives reacted to it… or rather didn’t react to it. They continued whispering to the microphones until the second of the captives started to scream. The 2 non-screaming captives took the books apart, smeared page after page with their own feces and pasted them calmly over the glass portholes. The screaming promptly stopped.

So did the whispering to the microphones.

After 3 more days passed, the researchers checked the microphones hourly to make sure they were working, since they thought it impossible that no sound could be coming with 5 people inside. The oxygen consumption in the chamber indicated that all 5 must still be alive. In fact, it was the amount of oxygen 5 people would consume at a very heavy level of strenuous exercise. On the morning of the 14th day, the researchers did something they said they would not do to get a reaction from the captives, they used the intercom inside the chamber, hoping to provoke any response from the captives they were afraid were either dead or vegetables.

They announced: “We are opening the chamber to test the microphones step away from the door and lie flat on the floor or you will be shot. Compliance will earn one of you your immediate freedom.”

To their surprise, they heard a single phrase in a calm voice response: “We no longer want to be freed.”

Debate broke out among the researchers and the military forces funding the research. Unable to provoke any more response using the intercom it was finally decided to open the chamber at midnight on the fifteenth day.

The chamber was flushed of the stimulant gas and filled with fresh air and immediately voices from the microphones began to object. 3 different voices began begging, as if pleading for the life of loved ones to turn the gas back on. The chamber was opened and soldiers sent in to retrieve the test subjects. They began to scream louder than ever, and so did the soldiers when they saw what was inside. Four of the five subjects were still alive, although no one could rightly call the state that any of them in ‘life.’

The food rations past day 5 had not been so much as touched. There were chunks of meat from the dead test subject’s thighs and chest stuffed into the drain in the center of the chamber, blocking the drain and allowing 4 inches of water to accumulate on the floor. Precisely how much of the water on the floor was actually blood was never determined. All four ‘surviving’ test subjects also had large portions of muscle and skin torn away from their bodies. The destruction of flesh and exposed bone on their finger tips indicated that the wounds were inflicted by hand, not with teeth as the researchers initially thought. Closer examination of the position and angles of the wounds indicated that most if not all of them were self-inflicted.

The abdominal organs below the ribcage of all four test subjects had been removed. While the heart, lungs and diaphragm remained in place, the skin and most of the muscles attached to the ribs had been ripped off, exposing the lungs through the ribcage. All the blood vessels and organs remained intact, they had just been taken out and laid on the floor, fanning out around the eviscerated but still living bodies of the subjects. The digestive tract of all four could be seen to be working, digesting food. It quickly became apparent that what they were digesting was their own flesh that they had ripped off and eaten over the course of days.

Most of the soldiers were Russian special operatives at the facility, but still many refused to return to the chamber to remove the test subjects. They continued to scream to be left in the chamber and alternately begged and demanded that the gas be turned back on, lest they fall asleep…

To everyone’s surprise, the test subjects put up a fierce fight in the process of being removed from the chamber. One of the Russian soldiers died from having his throat ripped out, another was gravely injured by having his testicles ripped off and an artery in his leg severed by one of the subject’s teeth. Another 5 of the soldiers lost their lives if you count ones that committed suicide in the weeks following the incident.

In the struggle one of the four living subjects had his spleen ruptured and he bled out almost immediately. The medical researchers attempted to sedate him but this proved impossible. He was injected with more than ten times the human dose of a morphine derivative and still fought like a cornered animal, breaking the ribs and arm of one doctor. When heart was seen to beat for a full two minutes after he had bled out to the point there was more air in his vascular system than blood. Even after it stopped he continued to scream and flail for another 3 minutes, struggling to attack anyone in reach and just repeating the word “MORE” over and over, weaker and weaker, until he finally fell silent.

The surviving three test subjects were heavily restrained and moved to a medical facility, the two with intact vocal cords continuously begging for the gas demanding to be kept awake…

The most injured of the three was taken to the only surgical operating room that the facility had. In the process of preparing the subject to have his organs placed back within his body it was found that he was effectively immune to the sedative they had given him to prepare him for the surgery. He fought furiously against his restraints when the anesthetic gas was brought out to put him under. He managed to tear most of the way through a 4-inch wide leather strap on one wrist, even though the weight of a 200-pound soldier was holding that wrist as well. It took only a little more anesthetic than normal to put him under, and the instant his eyelids fluttered and closed, his heart stopped. In the autopsy of the test subject that died on the operating table, it was found that his blood had triple the normal level of oxygen. His muscles that were still attached to his skeleton were badly torn and he had broken 9 bones in his struggle to not be subdued. Most of them were from the force his own muscles had exerted on them.

The second survivor had been the first of the group of five to start screaming. His vocal cords destroyed he was unable to beg or object to surgery, and he only reacted by shaking his head violently in disapproval when the anesthetic gas was brought near him. He shook his head yes when someone suggested, reluctantly, they try the surgery without anesthetic, and did not react for the entire 6-hour procedure of replacing his abdominal organs and attempting to cover them with what remained of his skin. The surgeon presiding stated repeatedly that it should be medically possible for the patient to still be alive. One terrified nurse assisting the surgery stated that she had seen the patient’s mouth curl into a smile several times, whenever his eyes met hers.

When the surgery ended the subject looked at the surgeon and began to wheeze loudly, attempting to talk while struggling. Assuming this must be something of drastic importance the surgeon had a pen and pad fetched so the patient could write his message. It was simple. “Keep cutting.”

The other two test subjects were given the same surgery, both without anesthetic as well. Although they had to be injected with a paralytic for the duration of the operation. The surgeon found it impossible to perform the operation while the patients laughed continuously. Once paralyzed the subjects could only follow the attending researchers with their eyes. The paralytic cleared their system in an abnormally short period of time and they were soon trying to escape their bonds. The moment they could speak they were again asking for the stimulant gas. The researchers tried asking why they had injured themselves, why they had ripped out their own guts and why they wanted to be given the gas again.

Only one response was given: “I must remain awake.”

All three subject’s restraints were reinforced and they were placed back into the chamber awaiting determination as to what should be done with them. The researchers, facing the wrath of their military ‘benefactors’ for having failed the stated goals of their project considered euthanizing the surviving subjects. The commanding officer, a former KGB agent, instead saw potential, and wanted to see what would happen if they were put back on the gas. The researchers strongly objected, but were overruled.

In preparation for being sealed in the chamber again, the subjects were connected to an EEG monitor and had their restraints padded for long term confinement. To everyone’s surprise, all three stopped struggling the moment it was let slip that they were going back on the gas. It was obvious that at this point all three were putting up a great struggle to stay awake. One of the subjects that could speak was humming loudly and continuously; the mute subject was straining his legs against the leather bonds with all his might, first left, then right, then left again for something to focus on. The remaining subject was holding his head off his pillow and blinking rapidly. Having been the first to be wired for EEG most of the researchers were monitoring his brain waves in surprise. They were normal most of the time but sometimes flat lined inexplicably. It looked as if he were repeatedly suffering from brain death, before returning to normal. As they focused on paper scrolling out of the brainwave monitor only one nurse saw his eyes slip shut at the same moment his head hit the pillow. His brainwaves immediately changed to that of a deep sleep, then flatlined for the last time as his heart simultaneously stopped.

The only remaining subject that could speak started screaming to be sealed in now. His brainwaves showed the same flatlines as one who had just died from falling asleep. The commander gave the order to seal the chamber with both subjects inside, as well as 3 researchers. One of the named three immediately drew his gun and shot the commander point blank between the eyes, then turned the gun on the mute subject and blew his brains out as well.

He pointed his gun at the remaining subject, still restrained to a bed as the remaining members of the medical and research team fled the room. “I won’t be locked in here with these things! Not with you!” he screamed at the man strapped to the table. “WHAT ARE YOU?” he demanded. “I must know!”

The subject smiled.

“Have you forgotten so easily?” The subject asked. “We are you. We are the madness that lurks within you all, begging to be free at every moment in your deepest animal mind. We are what you hide from in your beds every night. We are what you sedate into silence and paralysis when you go to the nocturnal haven where we cannot tread.”

The researcher paused. Then aimed at the subject’s heart and fired. The EEG flatlined as the subject weakly choked out, “So… nearly… free…”

Appearance and origins.

Whilst there are a number of images associated with The Russian Sleep Experiment and the story is of an event rather than about an individual or character, there is one image that is most well known and commonly linked to the story and which most fans will instantly recognise.

The image, shows a humanoid creature staring blankly into the camera. The figure is horribly emaciated, a fact that is further emphasised by the extent to which the eyes are sunken back into the sockets, the brow and cheekbones protruding to an unnatural extent.  

The teeth meanwhile are of an unusually large size and forced forward by the thinees of the subject into a maniacal looking grin. The subject’s hugely exaggerated features enlarged head and huddled posture first with the concept of them being as much a victim as a threat. The image is in black and white, which lends irt some authenticity considering the period in which it is alleged to be taken.  

Thankfully, the image is a fake, and rather than being a human being is in fact a photograph of a halloween prop named ‘spasm’ created in 2005 by Morbid Enterprises.  

There is some disagreement as to where the story first originated. Whilst   some sources claim that the tale’s first appearance can be linked back to a user known only as ‘Orangesoda’ who posted the story to the creepypasta website on august 10th 2010, others trace its origins to an August 8th 2009 post on the Rip747 WordPress blog, pointing out that the story was also posted to the misc board of Bodybuilding Forums by a user named Falconpunch on August 20th 2009 which would again pre-date OrangeSoda’s post on Creepypasta.

It is also worth noting that the post on the Rip747 blog claimed that the story has been shared with him by his brother, and whilst this may just be a narrative device intended to distance the author from the piece it could also be regarded as evidence that the story existed prior to this post.  

Whilst some believe British author Ice to have written the original creepypasta, based upon the fact that she produced a book of the same nme, she has clarified that she was simply inspired by an earlier work and is not the myths originator.  

Following Orangsoda’s post on Creepypasta a page was set up for the story on August 16th 2010, the story was then picked up and read aloud on the MrCreepypasta channel in November of 2011. After being shared by Griffin23 and receiving favourable reactions on the /r/wtf subreddit in October of 2012, the story got a dedicated site RussianSleepExperiment.com on   ‘March 7th 2013.  

The story was read aloud on Youtube over black and white images by IReadCreepyPastas in a video uploaded on 1 October 2013. This may be the first time that the narrative was linked to the images so famously associated with it and in its first year alone the video garnered over 11 million views.  

Influences and Buried Fears.

Scholars of folklore who have examined and written about The Russian Sleep Experiment myth have pointed out how the story’s effectiveness and viral spread can be attributed not only to its apparent believability, but more pointedly to   lat nbt anxieties within society around issues such as the horrors of war and the atrocities committed during world War two, but also with apprehension about the capabilities of foriegn militaries. It has been noted that across the spectrum of creepypasta stories the majority of stories concerning scientists and nefarious or experimentation are linked wither to Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia.  

Real Life Influences

Whilst many Creepypasta stories have clear influences from older folkloric traditions, what makes the The Russian Sleep Experiment story so unsettling and horrifically plausible is its proximity to the truth. Whilst many words and article inches have been dedicated to debunking this myth, it is simply a fact that similar horrors have indeed been committed by governments on their own people and that these incidents were undoubtedly influential in the formation of this particular mythology.  

By suggesting that the events recounted took place in the late 1940s   and with the addition of black and white and period photographs, the authors and posters place these fictional events within the same decade as the real life atrocities of the holocaust.  

Whilst the sleep experiment narrative might seem far-fetched in most contexts with most readers questioning the ethical and moral validity of such research, they remain within the realm of possibility when one considers that similar and perhaps greater crimes against unwilling subjects were committed in the name of advancement during this period.  

Though exaggerated to the point of monstrosity, the photograph of the halloween prop ‘spasm’ skirts the line of being plausible when one is reminded of the photographs of the near starved victims of the death camps under the Nazi regieme. In a deeply disturbing way, the hollow cheeks, sunken eyes and blank stares are nakedly reminiscent of real life footage and images from the time.  

Furthermore, when one considers the forced experimentation and medical research performed on unwilling subjects including the disabled by the nazis,(most infamously by Josef Mengele, who for example, saw fit to stitch pairs of living twins to one another) it becomes clear why readers have a hard time dismissing this story off hand.  

The Russian Sleep Experiment remains one of the most impactful and haunting creepypasta creations not only because of the effectiveness of its fiction, but because it skirts a little too close to the horrifying truth.  

Listen To The Russian Sleep Experiment Narration

The Russian Sleep Experiment movie…

We still await the day we get to see this classic creepypasta turned into a Russian Sleep Experiment movie

More classic Creepypasta stories can be found here: Jeff The Killer Slenderman Smile Dog

Copyright Statement: Unless explicitly stated, all stories published on Creepypasta.com are the property of (and under copyright to) their respective authors, and may not be narrated or performed under any circumstance.

246 thoughts on “The Russian Sleep Experiment”

DO NOT LOOK AT THE PIC FOR RSE FOR YOUR SAKE PLEASE

I just want to tell the people who think that the ending is cliche or trash that this pasta is loosely based on a true story and I recall a video mentioning that most of those last lines were indeed said. It would bug the maker of this pasta if he based his story on an actual event but removed some crucial parts.

And no, I also don’t like the ending much. It’s very decorated for me – too much words. The less last words, the better.

The story is really good.

After reading this a few times over the years, I can’t help but to feel the magic that made this tale so frightening in the past had dissipated. Though, I suppose that’s the case with every creepypasta at one point of another.

Nevertheless, as one of my first ever pastas all those years ago – I still find it well pace and nostalgic; if not rushed or too long winded in a few areas. Truly an excellent place for new pasta readers to begin. Good on the author for writing a timeless piece.

its good but it could be better

Really good one,I didn’t want it to end but when it did i was extremely disappointed with it…the ending just ruined the whole story for me but overall 8/10

Damn…..this is one of the best stories I’ve ever read!! Keep up the good work!!

Well, I don’t think I should have researched this pasta at night.

Omg this is so weird!!??

This is great XD

I was not creeped out by this. At all. How is this supposed to be frightening/ creepy?

absolutely amazing….. and to make matters worse this is actually true! i am not lying any of you can search it up online and you will be even more surprised and creeped OUT!!

I honestly will think this is real no matter what for some reason I can’t shake the thought that it is.

Very good, its 4:45CT and I’m kinda scared. Very very spoopy.

This was the very first creepypasta I had ever read. Have to say, it’s still my all time favorite!

I enjoyed the take on the Russian Sleep experiment, The experiment itself was real, but spinning in further details to madness was very good and entertaining on a realistic scale – Well Done!

I enjoyed the take on the Russian Sleep experiment, The experiment itself was real, but spinning in further details to madness was very good and entertaining on a realistic scale – Well Done!

This was a great pasta. Wayyy better than listening to the reading, in my opinion. Either way, you have to be a long-time pasta fan to be able to choke down this story.

That was a really good pasta, Russian Sleep Experiment is one of my favorites!

I LIKE Spaghetti!!!!!!!!!!!!

No, it was a great story. OMG just remembered that it is real

is this real? or just story??

I wish there was more to it, it’s just quite fascinating though.

That was epic man

That was epic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love the last part

awesome. sometimes i tell this to people and really get creeped out

As a non-psychoanalytic psychologist, the Sigmund “Fraud” typo is way too funny. And it makes for a very fitting Freudian slip! Just had to point that out. I’m not touching the rest of it.

Ah, a classic

I never understood this story I mean what was wrong with the patients why were they acting like that and why did they refuse to sleep what were they so terrified of

did somebody say “Pasta(R)…”? no? oh ok

A person I know read this story at a Halloween costume party and she didn’t finish it but that’s really good

This would be a great horror movie

Cool kind of.. But where is the climax??

my god this is a good one

He fell asleep on aesthetics? What a barbarian!

Definitely one of the best ones out there.

So my psychology professor showed this in class and I don’t have the heart to tell her it’s just a creepy pasta… not quite sure the truth behind any of this, but I’m counting it as mostly fiction.

Man this pasta is good!

Can you still scream if your vocal cords are destroyed?

Well that was … interesting. My friends and I used to do this, stay awake for as long as possible, 3 days was my record, while my friend managed 6 days. Least we thought we did, turns out we were missing time because we were micro-napping without realising, and blacking out in to a state of sleep without realising too. Turns out copious levels of alcohol and drugs don’t keep you as awake as you’d think.

Are Creepypastas in the public domain? I am a director and author and I would love to adapt this into a full novel or movie.

I have seen this on Pinterest except it was less creepy and showd a photo……BATGIRL DUNNANA BATGIRL BATGURL

There is an extra test subject. 5 started the experiment. 1 was dead when they opened the room. 1’s spleen ruptured and bled out when trying to restrain them. 1 died on the operating table when trying to anesthetise him/her. Then they put 3 surviving subjects under the knife and back in the room?

Shouldn’t have read this at 2am in the morning 0_0

True story Bro, I like this story

I do belive ive shat my pants

More like the Russian sleep cannibal

i seriously love this pasta its one of my favorites

How was three put back in the chamber when 3 had already died? Am I right? But love it anyway

This has got to be my 4th or 5th time reading this, and I’ll be damned if the ending still doesn’t give me chills every single time.

what other pasta should i read.

This wasn’t really creepy, just very interesting

Seriously one of the best stories on this site. Love, love, love it!

ahhhh… it makes me feel sleepy!

i too like pasta

I´ve done a soundscape/soundtrack´s bit of dark ambient tribute to this story : https://soundcloud.com/per-najbjerg-poulsen/soundscape-to-russian-sleep-experiment enjoy!

This is one of the best ive read

Goddamn, pretty creepy, and awesome. And disturbing.. Written by a genius, for sure. I’m Russian btw, lol. An American friend of mine, recommended me to read it, lol.

I think a scientific explanation for the self mutilation might be they were trying to preserve body energy by removing parts that use it? Or it could of course be the insanity thing.

I expect all pasta to be creepy. This one, was.

I luv this Pasta, it’s my all time favorite :) I really don’t see HOW people don’t like it though.

That was a great pasta

i love this one a lot :)

I really liked this pasta. THhe ending kinda gave me some closure so I could understand it so props for that. I also enjoyed how much detail you put into this. 100/100 :—–)

it was good until the end.

Worst cliche ending on the face of the earth.

It’s 12:00 and when I read this and now I can’t sleep >_< not good . #nightmares

I looked at a pic from this creepypasta it’s really creepy I hate it

this is such a good story and it really sends a chill down your spine. I’m totally having this on my favorites!

It’s a good pasta, but there’s a major plot hole that most people read over.

5 left. The fifth one was found dead when the chamber open.

4 left. The fourth one ruptured his spleen and bleed out.

So there’s three left?

In one of the paragraph’s, it is noted that. “The most injured OF THE THREE was taken to the only surgical room they had in the facility.” In that same paragraph, it said that the same patient died the second he was given MORE anesthetic and his eyes shut. He had triple the oxygen.”

So there’s two left?

The paragraph follows mentioning that the second most injured(the mute) was taken to surgery and was told he’ll live. The doctor gave him something to write down something he figured was important so the patient said “keep cutting”….

“The other two test subjects were sent to the surgery room, both WITHOUT anesthetic.” Note how one of the ones who died in surgery died from the anesthetic…Where this states that the other two were without anesthetic.

To prove that all three were mentioned to be alive…It says “All three stopped struggling when they were told..” This means that all THREE of them we’re struggling, and that quote(not an exact quote) came after said test subject died form anesthesia…

So there’s three left? As a double whammy, the third test subject is even mentioned dying in an alternative way compared to where it specifically said he died from anesthesia. It says that the third test subject died after frantically blinking, having put his head on a pillow and falling asleep.

So not only did the story say there were three subjects, then two, then three. The story ends with the third test subject dying in a different way…

Well NO SLEEP TONIGHT *wink*

I want the gas now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“The commander gave the order to seal the chamber with both subjects inside, as well as 3 researchers.” I’m questioning as to how people read this, saying that there are three subjects left. “Both” means two, there are two subjects left. Three researchers are to be locked in with them. One died when the room was opened, another bled out, the other died in his sleep. Have you read enough?

i could not finish it to creepy

Wow. Couldn’t sleep last night….. Real scary…….

Should not have been eating lasagna while reading this!

I would not say that the story was very frightening, and I feel that the ending could be better. Yet, in all truth, it completely got me engrossed. It may not have been a very good creepypasta, by the traditional definition, but it is one hell of a great story by any standards.

I liked it, but I still prefer game related creepypasta still my friend suggested this to me and they were right this was great!

I thought this was a very good story and i acually did more research and this is %100 real so very good job.

But I almost puked

God i fucking LOVE this creepy pasta :D

Amazing!!!This was great it left you wanting to read more and it left you with a great ending that will scare anyone.

Great overall but I shall dock a point for inconsistency and a poor choice in ending. 9/10

this creepy pasta has to be my favorite one of the main reasons is because it didnt really scare me like other pastas would E.g. the slendrman, S.C.P., jeff the killer, Mr. Widemouth etc… another reason why i liked ths is bcause i like creepypastas that are based during a war (WW1/WW2) and the fact that they were all how to say… psycotic during the experiment made it even more ineresting

Overall interesting. Ending sucked though

dafuq did I just read? in creepypasta terms that means 10/10! best fucking scary pasta ever!

Very good pasta, and I’m planning to make one about the pit of despair experiment, just with people and not monkeys! :-D

you should listen to the Ireadcreepypastas version on YouTube ; it’s really good.

One of my absolute favourites!

Good story but messed up

Good story but MESSED UP gross

Anonymous : That’s actually not it. The story is a reflection of sleep psychology. There is a theory that we have an “unconscious mind”, the more animalisticportion of our minds that is all that is considered “mad”. Our conscious mind (The one you are reading with right now) is what we use everyday. Our unconscious mind is only seen when we are asleep, giving our conscious mind a break. (This could explain why dreams are sometimes violentor crazy.) The fact that the patients could not sleep, perhaps broke the conscious mind and left the unconscious mind in control and free.

Wow I never realized that

I Peed A Little

Id like to get in contact with the writer of “The Russian Sleep Experiment”. To discus possibility of adapting the story into a short film. I don’t know who wrote it and was hoping I could be helped by someone in order to get in contact with its writer. Thanks

Creepypasta Classic Here!

someone should definitely make a movie based on this story! whoever does it could work on the number-of-subjects issue and the ending. This has serious potential!

i liked it. The ending could of been a better though. And tbh i would of liked to see more gore.

This was the best pasta I’ve seen next to Jeff the Killer! LOVED IT!

Is this a real story?

I really liked it, but I wish one of them lived. The mute one living would have been cool. :P

ehhh….this is why I dont get enough sleep anymore. Reading creepypastas all day,everyday, it really affects you to the core e_e but its my stupidity for doing it. Its always this creepypasta that keeps me awake at nights saying “Fuck Sleep”.

Eww. BUT IT WAS AWESOME.

Gyahaha! I’m so much closer to insanity when I unleash the darker side of me. It grows more powerful when I’m angry. I still feel that dreaded smile… Of my darkness.

Ancient humans painted caves and told stories around a fire to preserve knowledge and to warn their fellow man of the dangers that lurk in Darkness.

This tale is heir to that tradition of fear. But the Creator cannot help himself, cannot stop himself from adding garish obscuring clarity at the conclusion. He thinks it will terrify and enlighten.

Instead it misdirects and confuses.

The tragedy is that the body left unrested for so long undergoes a far more terrible transition and renders the exhausted mind unguarded. It is not that which escapes that is to be feared.

Try it and see.

I agree fully. It is not what escapes that should be feared, it is what stays behind.

I agree. It is not what escapes that bothers me, it is what stays behind.

This is one of my favorite pastas. 10/10, and will someone please make this into a movie?

Wow. Brilliant job! This pasta is probably my favorite I’ve read so far. You make the story really pop out and send chills down my spine.

Y U NO MAKE BOOK ABOUT THIS

Despite a few mistakes, I greatly enjoyed this story. It also kind of struck me as… I don’t know. Frighteningly believable. Not that this actually happened, I mean. But that this is what happens when people are deprived of sleep long enough. It seems like an amplified sort of picture of the impulses and feelings I find growing in my mind when I’ve been sleep-deprived… That probably sounds really creepy. Bit my mind gets weird when I don’t get sleep. And it’s the exact same brand of weird.

Hehehe, I can see why this story is on creepypasta; it has a nice “touch” to it. XD

“Meanwhile in Russia…”

Oh the irony, I think I may fall out of my seat.

I read this somewhere else once and it had a couple of pictures, one of them was one of the subjects after his surgery and showed how distorted his body was. That was creep too.

Despite the small “varying number of subjects” mistake and the cliche’ed ending, it was an alright pasta. Although, it made me more hungry than scared…..”The skin and most of the muscles attached to the ribs had been ripped off” makes me think of venison(deer meat).

And no, I’m not a zombie,..I just hadn’t had anything to eat for 2-1/2 hours. I need a sandwich.. (“`~`)

I wish this would become a movie :o

This is by far my favorite pasta. Its creepy yet true. I give it 10 skulls.

I didn’t understand that pasta. How many ppl died? I’m empty minded right now I guess

this is a wild tale that fish take hook, line and sinker…

BUT WHO WAS SLEEP?

This was pretty creepy O_o. people were right about this. “trying to sleep? not anymore.”

That last part actually made sense to me somehow. This is just that one story you read that makes you shudder, yet makes you think when the one making you shudder says something like that.

I liked it, but it could’ve gone without the last subject’s impromptu speech on the dark side of human nature. Maybe hallucinogenic babble would’ve been more realistic. The subjects seemed more malevolent than frightened, which was… Odd. Not bad, but odd. Other than that, great pasta. Probably one of the best I’ve seen, although I’m a stickler for old classics. My favorite is the one where the little girl gets the murderous doll that calls up to her, “Lucy, I’m on the first step.” until it gets to her. Thump Thump… Drag? Either way, I’m rambling. Yummy pasta. Would order seconds.

In Soviet Russia, sleep wakes you!

Nice pasta!

I read this on a separate sight and was half-convinced it was true (as it claimed it was true). However, it states 6 subjects deaths, when it first states there are 5 which made me speculative.

Yes, I’m aware it is impossible for them to have lived with such grievous injuries but that’s why it scared me so much. Because it defied the impossible and made me question what I thought was real.

I was off to study it a bit more, because I couldn’t believe it could be true and it lead me to this site (and I haven’t really left since. XD)

Other then the miscalculation of the number of subjects and the fact I think the ending could have been a lot better I give total respect to the author of this story.

It actually convinced me, for one, fascinated me and scared me quite a bit. I don’t scare easy. ‘Psychosis’ is the only other thing I’ve read on this site which has frightened me so far.

Awesome job. :D

Do not like. Want to nom but the raw smell is overwhelming.

This has WAYYY too many holes and things that don’t make sense. You an have your heart and lungs exposed for that long and still be alive..

Oh shit. O.o Insane. Loved it.

Nomomnomnom amazing pasta

I don’t care what all of you are saying. I really enjoyed this pasta. 9/10.

It was SO GOOD until the ending. I found the ending extremely corny. You can also word on your grammar/punctuation a little bit more. I loved the story though.

PPLEASEEEE make this into a lmovie.. does anyone agree this would be amazing?

I thought this was an awesome pasta, but it started with 5 people in the tank read the begenning again if im not belived

we need more pasta of this magnitude I really enjoy the russian experiments because russians are crazy and things like this really could have happened

I also enjoyed the story and was guessing that the end would reveal it to be an early experimental form of methamphetamine. That would have been killer!

Very interesting story, but the title is very misleading as there was no sleep involved whatsoever.

It’s not misleading, the topic of the Russian experiment was sleep, and the effects of a lack of this on a human.

I like this one, very intense.

If I was the scientist at the end, I would have shot myself after shooting the last patient.

This is something that I enjoyed alot.

No scientist would even think of making a subject stay awake for 30 days, you can only last 10 or so days without sleep….

True. Though I believe that the story was set before that was discovered.

Ending was lame

Does anyone know who wrote this?

I’m looking into film adaptation rights status for this story.

If you are the author or know the author, please email me at [email protected]

I enjoyed this pasta keep up the good work!

This was the first short story that I read as far as the ‘creepypasta’ genre goes, though it wasn’t on this site. This story was the reason I continued to read creepypasta. Sure, it’s not perfect, but few stories are, and this pasta’s pros definitely outweigh its cons. I’ve read it a hundred times and will probably read it a hundred more!

I didn’t get bored reading it. I really did enjoy this. That is, until the very ending. It was kind of silly. Maybe i’d have prefered everyone died.

Best post I’ve read so far. I’ve read and listened to it so many times. Still gives me chills. I like to believe this is definitely real, that or it’s highly possible. The human mind is capable of so many things that we can’t even comprehend at this point. Science is coming along sooo well. Yayyy drugs! <3

Thank you for making me not-afraid to sleep.

That left me with alot of unease

Great gritty realistic story but I agree with the others, the ending is a bit too much of what it should be. Meaning story teller was trying to give meaning to what happened when it should have been left alone.

When a story is this long I expect a decent payoff; there wasn’t one here, but it was well-written at least.

I loved it! I’ve never read a creepy pasta story before this and you’ve made an amazing first impresion with this story! Bravo!

I really enjoyed this. The ending was a good twist.

SON OF A BITCH

You called for me?

Perfectly tasty pasta, despite the mistakes. Bravo.

The story is awesome until the last two paragraphs or so. At that point the mood shifts from gritty realism, something that could actually have happened, with psychosis and dementia and madness…to inner demons? Really?

Yeah, the ending was definitely slapped on for a deadline or or something.

Actually You did already have it archived here. I’ve only used this site for creepypastas(it hasn’t been so long since I found out about them) and I’ve read a lot of the old stories and this one was already posted here.

To me, the scariest thing about this one is that it could actually happen in real life if someone decided to attempt an experiment even vaugely similar to this.

BUT WHO WAS RUSSIA

Damn scary…

wow i never realy knew what kind animals we realy were on the in side, but what do you realy expect someone to do in that type of systuation

Well clearly you rip your guts out and scream until your voice chords are torn in half lol that would definately be most of us :P

i can make a better one

then do it don’t say you can and not do it. stupid.

Then freaking make a better one.. I bet you can’t.. If you don’t like it then you should give your opinion not say shit like that.. Grow up!!

Nice~ it really sucks you into the story and gets your heart pumping~

This tapped into the darkest part of my mind. Its scary, and makes you think. Kindof like Psychosis. 10/10

You put disgrace on the name Olivia. Please, PLEASE… take time on proofreading. Here, I’ll do it for you: *All of you *So *I’ve *aren’t *This *I’ve *I *It’s *I *doesn’t *My *Russian. *He’s *nice… *extremely *Sometimes *hitting That hurt my brain.

She won’t get it.

Yea… people we get it. He made a tiny mistake now shut up it’s not that deep

Or she…a twist in the tale

all yous shut your mouth! so far this has been the scariest pasta i’ve read in a while. most pastas should be crappypastas but arnt. this should be one of the best creepypasta stories i’ve read in a while i really think that this story shouldnt be on crappypasta. its well written and i loved it and anyone who dosnt STFU! and my friend is russian hes nice extremly nice. somtimes so nice you’d think he was hitten on me…. o.O

So someone who doesn’t like part of the story shouldn’t talk? Your logic is skewed.

So someone who doesn’t like part of the story shouldn’t give their opinion? Your logic is skewed.

Is friend nice enough to teach you English?

You must be some 10 year old reading some random pastas. Everyone here is free to express their opinion. And by the way, no one ever said anything about your beloved Russian friend. Just freaking grow up.

Yes, they open the tank; there are 4. One bleeds to death from a broken spleen. There are 3 then. Go to surgery; one dies by anesthesia. There are 2 then; oh wait! next paragraph, there are still 3; who was resurrected?

The ending could have worked with a little more detail added. Feels a little bit rushed.

Sorry for the bad english; it’s not my first language.

Yeah! I agree….:)

And as far as your English? It’s fine.

Your english is better than most people whos first language is english

There’s an inconsistency with the amount of subject and multiple times. Sometimes there 3, sometimes 4. There 3 survivors when they first open the tank, then one of the 3 dies on the operating table but then there are 3 left to be put back in? Ruined the whole thing for me.

Asexual reproduction? Its a story so why the hell not?

u obviously lost count with the story

I’d rather the last survivor not say anything at all, or at least something so vague it leaves an eerie aftertaste. For it to say it’s their “inner demon” is sadly cliche, however the rest of the story (such as it’s setting, style, and fantastic description) was wonderfully appreciated.

not bad, reminds me of one i read on the CREEPY TALES app on my phone called Gateway to the Mind, I’m new here so i’m not sure if that one is a creepypasta, i assumed it was as the app also has Candle Cove

Its on Creepypasta LOL.

We are free. Insane for eternity. With hearts of stone. And brains of the dead. They are the ones going home. The ones who will bleed red. They say they are free by being sane. But one day they will find out. That we were right all along. And that they shall pay…..

No! Not You!!!!!!!!

Um haha no me…..

No! Not you either!!!!!!!!!

I really liked it. Definitely original and quite disturbing. The ending is a bit cliché, but nothing that truly ruins the rest of it. Also, the graphic detail in the middle of the story made me a little light-headed, haha. Very well done, whomever wrote this.

I’m almost certain I’ve read this somewhere else before XD Can’t think were those since I don’t read creepypasta anywhere else but here.. Still i always liked the story but i did notice that the amount of survivors increased and decreased in multiple parts of the story.

Yeeeah this kinda sucked.

i dont get it

thats because your not russian

I see where you’re going with this…..

I don’t

Can u explain it?????

im not russian but i get it just fine

What happened is that there were 3 guys that were being kept prisoner to see if they couldn’t sleep for 30 days. They went mad, and then they started mutilating themselves because of not sleeping. It says at the end that sleeping is why the madness I suppressed. I believe it is an extended metaphor for when you are tired that you get mad easily.

That’s actually not it. The story is a reflection of sleep psychology. There is a theory that we have an “unconscious mind”, the more animalistic portion of our minds that is all that is considered “mad”. Our conscious mind (The one you are reading with right now) is what we use everyday. Our unconscious mind is only seen when we are asleep, giving our conscious mind a break. (This could explain why dreams are sometimes violent or crazy.) The fact that the patients could not sleep, perhaps broke the conscious mind and left the unconscious mind in control and free.

That’s not a theory. It’s a hypothesis. And that’s not what actual scientific studies of sleep have found. Not sleeping makes you fucked up, but it won’t make you super strong, immune to pain, or psychopathic. Try it some time. Lots of students do it regularly; very very very very very very few of them try to hurt anyone or themselves.

Also, just as an editorial matter: this story needs some grammar and spelling work, as well as some extra plausibility in story structure. As some other commenters point out it is really liberally melodramatic, both in terms of the plot devices and the goofy monologue at the end. It’s a good start but it doesn’t hold together and it ends very weakly. Please edit.

I beg to differ, my ex went 10 days without sleep, she was under a lot of stress at work and with school, (i have no idea how she stayed up so long as i personally cant go 48 hours without sleep) well she got more and more irritated but never towards me, more like she couldn’t get a jar open and instead of asking me she threw it… out the window.. but i digress around the 9th night we go to bed, or i do at least, she stayed up to finish some homework, she hadn’t shown signs of paranoia or mental breakdowns.. just increasingly violent anger breakouts. i woke up 3 hours later with my gun in my face and she was screaming about something that i couldn’t even understand. I asked her why she was pointing a gun at me and she didn’t have an answer, i reached out and took it from her, she released it and i immediately put her in my car and took her to the hospital.. she slept for 3 days and was fine after that. sleep deprivation can seriously fuck you up, now i’m not saying this story is true, personally i don’t believe so, though the Russians did have some fucked up experiments. but i am saying i wouldn’t doubt something like this could happen if someone could stay awake for 14 days.

Eh. Mostly good, but the ending is really melodramatic. Not my favorite.

I kinda agree on that. Should’ve gotten rid of the whole “We are the blah blah blah…”

it goes from having only 2 live survivors from the chamber to having 3 this is clearly fake and was good up until the story got messed up do more editing

Of course it’s fake it’s on a fucking horror story site of all fictional stories

I don’t understand how everyone is getting this confused. There were 4 patients when they opened the chamber, the 5th one being dead. In the struggle to remove the patients from the chamber, the 4th one died from a ruptured spleen. The last 3 were put into surgery and it was decided to put them back in the chamber. As they were getting prepped, the 3rd patient fell asleep and immediately died. The 2 are now in a room with 3 RESEARCHERS, when they decide to close the doors and put the gas on, so the last 2 don’t die. One of the researchers (or soldiers, w/e) shoots his commanding officer in the head, as well as 1 of the patients. The last researcher runs. Leaving one researcher (soldier) and the 1 final patient. At no point is the math off. Learn to read guys XD

But didn’t one of the patients die in surgery? From the anesthetics?

that was the ruptured spleen one

Yesss, people, beware Russians – we have wayyy more secrets than you think! LOL By the way, KGB was formed in 1954 :/

OR WAS IT??

ill blow you all up im with the cheka

It didn’t say this was the KGB… As far as the commanding officer, so what? Maybe KGB was already in existence until we just barely heard of it in 1954.

It said that the commander was ex-KGB.

Might of been Putin from the present gone back in time? I don’t know its fake.

thats what the government wants you to think

In Soviet Russia, 1954 forms KGB! :/

Thats when KGB was revealed

inb4 this is oldpasta. Yes, we know, but it’s good and we didn’t have it archived yet on this site, so up it goes.

derpbutt you’re amazing :D

Creepy, gave me shudders. Keep up the good work!

Now no-one can say first!

I really enjoyed this pasta. Good one.

I like pasta

i like pasta too!!!

MMMMM… paaaastaaaaa…

Gotta love pasta.

Are you kidding me?

Your name is “A”. Are YOU kidding me??

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What was the Russian Sleep Experiment?

Did the Soviet government create zombies through a ruthless experiment?

As legend has it, the story took place in the late 1940s, when WWII was over but Joseph Stalin still remained all-powerful. On a well-guarded secret base, a research group conducted a cruel experiment on five GULAG prisoners. They were promised freedom in the event that they would last 30 days in a chamber filled with a psychotropic gas depriving them of sleep.

Dreamless monsters

In the course of the five days, the situation went out of control - the subjects blocked observation and went all kinds of crazy, screaming and moaning. Then they turned completely silent for several days, and when the scientists broke into the chamber, they saw the unspeakable: the subjects tore most of their skin off of their bodies; blood covered the floor.

Somehow, the mutilated prisoners remained alive, pleading to turn the stimulant gas back on, screaming that they “must stay awake”. When the research group tried to immobilize them, the subjects showed astonishing strength, even killing some of the soldiers who were helping the scientists.

Eventually, the subjects were pacified. One of them, instructed to asleep, died immediately after his eyes closed. The rest were killed while trying to break out.

Before shooting the last subject, one researcher screamed: “What are you?!” And that mutilated, blood-covered body answered with a terrifying smile:  “We are you. We are the madness that lurks within you all, begging to be set free at any moment in your deepest animal mind. We are what you hide from in your beds every night. We are what you sedate into silence and paralysis when you go to the nocturnal haven where we cannot tread.” So he said, before the researcher shot him in the head.

Sounds creepy?

If you bought any of this, you are probably new to the Internet. This ‘Russian sleep experiment’ is a 10-year-old urban legend. Its origins trace back to the CreepyPasta website, where you can enjoy the story in all its full glory (like feces covering the windows, a KGB commander forcing the scientists to join the subjects in the chamber and so on). But the original story is even older, written for an online forum challenging users to make up the scariest “urban legend”.

And boy, did it spread far and wide. Articles and videos with names like “was the Russian Sleep Experiment real?” are numerous. Some websites, even Russian ones, still post the story hoping to elicit real horror, adding comments like “the origin of the leaks is still a mystery” at the end. Yeah, right.

The story couldn’t be true for so many reasons we’d need a separate text to list them all. Let’s just focus on the obvious ones:

1. It didn’t make any sense for scientists to let the subjects “hide” in their chamber for several days without observation.

2. No gas that can stop humans from falling asleep is currently known to science.

3. If you tear away your skin, you die from blood loss. Or did that gas turn the subjects into some quasi-immortal creatures?     

Overwhelming success

The legend remains popular even after a decade. “The Russian Sleep Experiment is the most viral ‘Creepypasta’ story on the internet, with a total of 64,030 shares,” journalist Gavin Fernando wrote in 2016.

Seems about right: this hoax became so huge, it ended up inspiring a novel, a short film (where the GULAG prisoners are for some reason replaced with Nazi war criminals) and an upcoming full-length psychological thriller by young Irish director John Farrelly.

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What is the Russian Sleep Experiment?

• 11 Comments

Ben Trapskin

We know that sleep is a vital requirement for us. We also know the effects of going without sleep for a few days. But what would happen if someone went without sleep for a whole month? No, we are not talking about sleeping for two or three hours a day. We are talking about remaining wide awake for a month.

Any sane person would have the same response: it isn’t possible to remain awake for 30 days. When we are sleepy , we automatically doze off after some time no matter how hard we try to stay awake. Even someone with chronic insomnia falls asleep at a certain point.

It’s interesting to imagine what would happen if someone were to really go without sleep for that long. It has obviously never happened, but there are several stories on the internet that claim experiments have taken place in the past to find out the effects of long term sleep deprivation. The most famous among them is the Russian Sleep Experiment story .

What would happen if someone were to go without sleep for nearly 30 days? That’s what a group of researchers set to find out in 1940s Soviet. In this scientific experiment sanctioned by the military, a group of researchers took five political prisoners and locked them for 15 days in a sealed gas chamber. The subjects were continually administered an airborne stimulant for keeping them awake for at least 30 days. They were told that they’d be set free if they could remain awake for 30 days.

For the first few days, everything seemed normal. The subjects continued to talk to each other as well as a whisper to the researchers who kept monitoring them from outside the chamber. The conversations were electronically monitored while their behavior was monitored with the help of secret two-way mirrors.

It was from the fifth day that things began to change. The prisoners started to show signs of stress and paranoia. They stopped talking to one another and only whispered into the microphone sometimes. From the ninth day, things became worse. Two of the inmates started to run around the chamber and scream so hard that their vocal cords could break.

The screaming, however, stopped suddenly, and then there was eerie silence. The researchers feared the worst and announced their decision to open the chamber. But they heard a voice from inside that said they no longer wanted to be free.

On the fifteenth day, the chamber was opened, but the results were horrific. One of the prisoners was dead. All of them were severely mutilated, with their flesh torn off and abdomens ripped open. They also seemed to have eaten their own flesh.

They refused to leave the chamber and fought back with a force and aggression they did not have before being put in the chamber. They were almost superhuman in their power and even tore off their muscles and bones during the struggle to resist being removed from the chamber and anesthetized. When they were asked why they had done that to themselves, each of them gave the same response: “I must remain awake.”

Even after being removed from the chamber, the surviving prisoners continued to show extreme strength, incredible resistance to drugs and sedatives, unimaginable ability to remain alive even after lethal injuries, and a desperate desire to remain awake and being given the stimulant gas again. The researchers also discovered that when any subject fell asleep, they instantly died.

With two of the subjects were dead, the surviving three were treated for their injuries and prepared to return to the gas chamber. However, within moments, the EEG monitors revealed that all the subjects were brain dead. Just before the chamber was sealed, another prisoner fell asleep and died, while the researcher shot another one dead.

Before shooting the last surviving subject, the researcher asked what he was, to which he identified himself as the evil that resided in every human mind and kept in check by sleep. Soon after, the researcher shot him dead and went about covering up any trace of the experiment.

What Did You Just Read?

To put your minds at ease, here’s the truth: that experiment did not actually take place. Yes, it’s totally made up. But when it first appeared on the internet, it instantly went viral, and people started to debate the authenticity of the story (the debate continues). Part of the reason why it’s so believable is that the military in the Soviet era was known to be inhuman and conducted various experiments in secret. This one, however, wasn’t one of them.

The Russian sleep experiment is an internet horror story that first appeared on a Wiki page in 2010. The author is unknown, but their username was Orange Soda. 

Such horror stories and images are called Creepypasta and are meant to scare readers. Creepypastas are short, user-generated content created with the intention to scare people with gruesome stories about death paranormal activities or otherworldly occurrences. The Russian Sleep Experiment is one such Creepypasta, which became so popular that many people believed it to be true. But rest assured nothing of that sort ever took place, not in Russia or anywhere in the world.

Soviet Secret Experiments

Even though this is just a Creepypasta, the Soviet Union was indeed behind a number of secret scientific experiments, beginning from the early 1900s and continuing till the Soviet broke apart in the late 1980s. Most of these experiments were conducted by the Soviet secret services, an intelligence branch of the Soviet military. Not only were they known to be brutal, but they also never hesitated from conducting human experimentation. Some of the most disturbing and unethical human experimentation – way beyond what the US or North Korea could ever imagine – was conducted by the Soviet secret services.

One of the most infamous scientific experiments by the Soviet secret services was the poison laboratory. This was a secret research facility developed by a professor of medicine Ignatii Kazakov and headed by lieutenant general Pavel Sudoplatov. The purpose of this facility was to test various kinds of poisons, developed with the intention of attacking the West. It is believed that the laboratory was activated again in 1991 and is still used to create deadly poisonous biological weapons for secret operations in the West.

Human experimentation was rampant in the laboratory, and the subjects were mostly political prisoners. The goal of these experiments was to find a colorless, odorless poison that could not be detected even after the person died. Most of the victims died instantly. Some of the poisons tested were mustard gas, digitoxin, ricin, curare, and cyanide. The laboratory was also the place where supposed enemies of Russia were brought to be executed with these deadly poisons.

This may not sound as creepy as the Russian sleep experiment, but they were real and terrified even the most powerful nation in the world today, the United States of America. No wonder the US didn’t let the Soviet Union remain unified for too long.

Sleep Deprivation World Record

There are people who went more than a week without sleep, either as part of a competition or for entering the Guinness Book of Records. A high school student from California called Randy Gardner stayed awake for 11 continuous days for entering the Guinness Book of Records. During the 264-day experiment, the young man suffered from foggy memory, poor concentration, dizziness, slurred speech, and even hallucinations and paranoia. He, however, did not exhibit any of the horrifying behaviors of the Russian experiment subjects. After the project was over, he slept for 14 hours at a stretch and woke up feeling normal again, without any long-lasting consequences of sleep deprivation. Unfortunately, he could not enter the Guinness Book of Records because he missed the submission deadline. This was back in 1964.

Guinness removed this category because it did not want to encourage such risky experiments anymore. The record holder for the longest continuous period of wakefulness is Maureen Weston of England who went without sleep for 18 days in 1977 as part of a rocking chair marathon. She didn’t become cannibalistic or tear open her abdomen or eat her own flesh. She still holds the record to this day.

Scientists have been studying the effects of sleep deprivation forever. Whenever we hear about a sleep experiment, we find it believable because sleep is always an interesting subject to scientists and there is still so much; we don’t know about it. However, no one has ever heard of any stimulant gas that can keep a person awake for a month or more. Although the Soviet military was known to have various kinds of gas chambers for torturing prisoners, keeping them awake for days at a stretch was not a method they used.

Effects of Sleep Deprivation

Going without sleep for days at a stretch can lead to various health problems, but it can never turn anyone into a cannibal. There are effects of sleep deprivation, but they are subtle and take time to show. Everyone is aware of the importance of a good night’s sleep . After a long hard day at work, we want nothing more than to go home and get to bed. If we do not get enough sleep at night, we feel groggy, grumpy, tired and excessively sleepy during the day. These are the obvious effects of sleep deprivation. When these obvious signs of sleep deprivation are not taken into consideration, they can lead to more serious consequences.

Our body is like a machine. It needs a few hours of rest every night. Otherwise, it can suffer from a breakdown. When we go without enough sleep for a long time, our bodily functions suffer. Sleep deprivation can also lead to various kinds of accidents, as is evident from the rising number of car accidents. sleep deprivation is as dangerous as drunk driving. Lack of sleep can also cause accidents in factory settings with hazardous machinery. Even the Chernobyl disaster is believed to have been caused because of sleep deprivation.

There can be several reasons behind sleep deprivation. One of the biggest reasons is unhealthy lifestyles and hectic schedules. Professional competition is stiff these days, and people resort to any means to fulfill their ambitions, even if that means getting only two hours of sleep every night. Sleep has indeed become secondary to many people. Instead of sleeping, these people prefer to work. While this may help achieve career and professional goals for a short while, the effects of sleep deprivation will soon catch up.

Sleep disorders such as insomnia can also cause chronic sleep deprivation. A lot of people tend to assume that insomnia will go away on its own. But insomnia is a serious sleep disorder that requires proper diagnosis and treatment. Insomnia can also be the result of respiratory disorders like sleep apnea , where the throat muscles relax and block the upper airway, causing obstructed breathing.

If the lack of sleep is a result of a sleep disorder, then the good news is that there are treatments for almost all sleep disorders. However, if it is because of an unhealthy lifestyle, then the person needs to make healthy improvements to his way of living.

Chronic sleep deprivation affects our bodily functions in various ways. Some of them are:

Appetite and Weight Gain: Continuous lack of sleep is a big reason behind an improper appetite and unhealthy weight gain. Our appetite is controlled by two hormones called leptin and ghrelin. Leptin suppresses appetite while ghrelin increases appetite. Lack of sleep causes hormonal imbalance, suppressing the production of leptin and increasing the production of ghrelin. This leads to an unhealthy increase in appetite and weight gain. Most people tend to think that lack of sleep will lead to weight loss. However, what happens is the opposite. The longer you live with sleep deprivation, the higher your weight rises, thanks to the imbalances in the hormones that control your appetite.

Poor cognitive functioning:  Lack of sleep is often responsible for various mishaps, errors, and accidents. This is because without enough sleep our brains fail to remain alert and sharp. While we sleep at night, our brains repair and recharge and consolidate what it learned and experienced through the day. That’s how memories are formed (remember the movie Inside Out ?) When we don’t sleep enough, our brains don’t get enough time to repair and recharge or make memories. Therefore, we end up with a foggy memory and poor concentration when we are sleep deprived. When this goes on for a long time, we dumb down and don’t function as efficiently as we should.

Risk of serious health conditions: Sleep deprivation increases the risk of various serious health conditions like diabetes, heart attack and failure, stroke, kidney disorders, hypertension, and depression. Chronic lack of sleep also kills sex drive and makes it hard to conceive a baby. If a person goes a long time without enough sleep, their immunity also gets weakened.

Moral of the Story

Sleep deprivation causes several health disorders; some are obvious while others are subtle and long-term. However, it does not cause any of the behaviors depicting in the Russian Sleep Experiment. But that doesn’t mean you should attempt to go without enough sleep for a long time. Proper sleep is as necessary as food and fresh air, and every adult should get at least seven hours of sleep every night. A healthy lifestyle, the right diet, and a relaxed mind are the three most important factors responsible for healthy sleep quality.

If you want to read the fictional account of the Russian Sleep Experiment you can buy the book on Amazon .

11 thoughts on “What is the Russian Sleep Experiment?”

I used to be a crystal meth addict in my 20’s. The longest I went without sleep was 26 days, at which point I was confused and didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Since then I fully recovered, and went on to lead a good sober life, got married, had two children, became an author and an artist.

For real? Is your book good? What is it called, and what is it about?

is the book good?

I have read many different things about the no sleep experiment and all of them are different….. Before I read this I believed the main things to be true but not the superstrength or tearing their abdomens etc. Though now that I think about it you would have to be pretty narrow-minded and gullible to really believe every detail of this story.

“Some of the most disturbing and unethical human experimentation – way beyond what the US or North Korea could ever imagine – was conducted by the Soviet secret services.” Clearly you have never researched Project MKUltra.

MK is still the tip of the iceberg

That is scary

Mengele is said to have picked up children and jail them with starving monkeys. Read it on ‘Thanks for the memories’ by Brice Taylor. Of course, the science of that age was not intended for health more than for discovery of human limits.

I never thought that humans can get this much low. I loved them ’till I know the story and now I don’t. But I still believe in truth.

The USSR was using sound waves to manipulate thought patterns as far back as the 1970s. Tones could be played through tapes – or even through the telephone – to induce brainwave anomalies (so-called “mind control”). Check the info sheet PDF here:

https://psycho-dynamics.com/USSR-Psychoenergetics/

The PDF is free but there is a link to download a sound file which for obvious reasons I think you should *not* listen to.

ok so my friend told me abt the whole story thing and I had to see if it was true ya know so I looked at this article and like I thought the story he told me was 100% real but now I mean that’s just DARK whoever wrote this. Still love it though. >=)

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10 Shocking Soviet Experiments

by Elliot | Science

The Soviet Union was one of two superpowers of the world. In order to preserve their position they were dead set on developing new technology and biomedical practices. To do this, they would need to constantly seek to improve their understanding of science. And they were into science big time. Soviet scientists were notorious for their ruthless human and animal experimentation. But much of their experiments were of a completely different nature. They could be purely technological, relating to military capability or space travel. Space travel was the big one, with America competing with the Russians to put the first man on the moon. Ultimately, the Americans won – but the Soviets put the first human and the first animal in space. All this grew from the various experiments done by their scientists. Here are my top 10 most shocking Soviet experiments.

Flying Tanks

Sometimes Soviet experiments seem to have come straight from the minds of children. This is one of those. So one day, a Soviet scientist came up with the brilliant idea of flying tanks. Literally attaching wings onto a military tank. It’s the ultimate war machine! The Soviets made several attempts to create a flying tank but none of which were successful. It turns out flying tanks are just a dreadful idea. They swiftly realised it would never work, but it was one of the main Soviet experiments of the second world war. During the same period, the Japanese and British governments also attempted to create a flying tank – but they also failed. It was a different era.

Underwater Cities

The Ichthyander Project was the first of many soviet experiments into creating underwater spaces where humans could live for long periods of time. The first part of the experiment took place in 1966, and it was a complete success. A man lived underwater for 3 days inside a small metal habitat. Inspired by this, they decided to take it further. In the second attempt, they were underwater for two whole weeks. Further experiments attempted to create underwater habitats for scientific research – and some even wanted to create an underwater Soviet city. The underwater city never materialised, and was just a wild dream. As far as we know anyway.

Man-Monkey Hybrids

Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov was a real-life mad scientist. His ultimate goal was to create a hybrid cross between humans and apes. Some say the Soviets wanted him to create them an entire army of monkey-man soldiers. It is unknown whether this is true though. The vast majority of Soviet experiments into creating these hybrids involved artificial insemination. It was during the 1920s that these experiments were at their peak. Ivanov used human sperm on female apes. All of his experiments failed, of course. It was only a matter of time until the Soviet officials realised he was completely out of his mind. So in 1930, he was arrested and exiled.

The Soviet Union was America’s only major rival in the space race. Both sides wanted to reach the moon first. Both sides wanted to explore the possibility of space-weapons. In order to do any of this, they would first need the ability to survive space flight. Rather than just sending humans to space, they sent dogs. Space dogs became celebrities in Russia during the 1950s and 60s. It is thought that Soviet experiments involved sending over 50 into space during this period. Most of the dogs survived and were well taken care of. However, the first dog to be sent into space did die. And they didn’t expect anything different from her. She was just a stray dog who was found in Moscow. So they sent her into space.

The 2-Headed Dog

Like so many of the men behind Soviet experiments, Vladimir Demikhov was bloody insane. He performed a series of organ transplants from one animal to another animal. Some were successful, other were not. He is now notorious for his experiments involving head transplants. He genuinely attempted to take the head from one dog, and attach it onto another dog. The desired outcome was to have a 2-headed dog. The experiment was actually a success. And the outcome was caught on video – which you can see above. The new hybrid dog didn’t survive very long. But this experiment paved the way the head transplants of other animals. Perhaps Vladimir Demikhov’s true legacy is the modern plans to perform head-transplants on humans.

The Poison Lab

The secret police of the Soviet Union was notorious for it’s use of poison. And growing from this, they were also notorious for their poison facility. Known as ‘The Chamber’, it was the place you would never want to be taken. Because, here, you would be brutally experimented on. Prisoners would have all kinds of deadly toxins given to them with the goal of finding the perfect poison. They wanted a poison that was undetectable and untraceable, so that they could guarantee death and get away with it. The only way to find this type of poison was for them to test it out on different humans. And so they did so, regularly. This really was to be expected in a list of Soviet experiments.

Space Monkeys

Just like dogs, some Soviet experiments involved sending monkeys and apes into space. I guess because monkeys are more similar to humans than most other animals. But it weird because they continued launching monkeys into space even after they knew how to do it with humans. Most of the Soviet space monkeys were sent up there during the 1980s. One of the moneys who spent time in space was given to Fidel Castro as a gift. That monkey did more with it’s life than most humans do! Luckily, most of the poor things were put under heavy painkillers while in space. A few other countries have also sent monkeys into orbit, with Iran still doing it in 2013.

Lysenkoism was basically a pseudoscientific movement of maniacs. They followed the teachings of Trofim Lysenko, who was out of his mind. He was an adamant opponent to the field of biology for some reason. He just hated traditional biologists. He somehow gained the favour of Joseph Stalin, who was another maniac. The two of them joined forces to kill a whole load of biologists. Basically any scientist who objected to Lysenkoism was in big trouble… which was most scientists at the time. So they made it illegal for scientists to disagree with him. He was soon made director of the institute of genetics; in holding that position, his movement was one of the most disastrous Soviet experiments.

Experiments in the Revival of Organisms

In 1940, a bizarre experiment was recorded on video. The film is about 20 minutes long and it shows an attempt to bring a dead dog back to life. It shows the severed head of a dead dog connected to a machine. An artificial heart is part of the machine, pumping blood back into the dogs head. The bizarre thing is that it seems to have worked!! You can watch the experiment in the video above.

Russian Sleep Experiment

The Russian sleep experiment is an urban legend that some Soviet experiments involved sleep deprivation. These experiments caused the test subjects to transform into crazed monsters. Luckily, this never happened. The Russian sleep experiment is a complete myth… as far as we can tell anyway.

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9 Russian Adventurers Mysteriously Froze to Death. A New Theory Explains Why

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By the time the rescue team helicoptered to the remote Dyatlov Pass in late February 1959, the nine Russian adventurers—seven men and two women, all highly experienced cross-country skiers—had been dead for nearly a month. Nothing about the scene seemed right. The adventurers’ tent had been sliced open from the inside, and in its husk lay rucksacks, neatly arranged boots, and a plate of sliced pork fat. The rescuers found the victims themselves over half a mile downslope from their camp, some of them barefoot and almost naked. The primary cause of death was hypothermia—temperatures would have been well below zero degrees Fahrenheit the night they fled—but two of the deceased were missing their eyes, and another her tongue. Four had suffered severe trauma to their heads and chests, as if they’d been in a car crash. These were not injuries consistent with a death by avalanche.

Over the decades, what became known as the Dyatlov Pass incident has prompted many a conspiracy theory. It must have been aliens that made the Russians flee to an icy death, as evidenced by the fact that some of the adventurers’ clothes bore traces of radioactivity. Or a Yeti had stumbled upon the camp. Or, more plausibly, the local humans didn’t appreciate the group’s intrusion on their lands. In the end, none of these were particularly convincing to the Russian government, which officially blamed an avalanche as the culprit, all those curious circumstances notwithstanding.

Now, more than 60 years later, scientists say they’ve got new evidence to back up that claim, but with a twist: The killer was probably a peculiar kind of avalanche. Inspired by previous work that modeled realistic snow for the Disney film Frozen , the researchers simulated how a relatively tiny avalanche could have struck the camp, forcing the adventurers to flee, and severely injuring some of them.

The nine adventurers were all experienced cross-country skiers. None would survive the journey.

Sometime before nightfall on February 1, 1959, the cross-country skiers had made a simple camp, just one tent into which they’d all crammed side by side to sleep. We know this timeline because investigators recovered the group’s cameras and found an image of the pitched tent in daylight. We also know that the group evacuated quickly at night, as evidenced by the cut in the tent—perhaps done frantically, if people trapped inside couldn’t breathe—and the fact that the rescue team also recovered lanterns near the shelter.

As for the campers’ time of death, researchers have a few lines of evidence. Without body heat to keep it warm, in such cold weather—estimated to be –13 degrees F, based on readings from the closest weather stations—a person’s watch stops ticking about an hour after their death. Three of the adventurers’ watches stopped between 8 am and 9 am, and another’s stopped at 5:31 am. The temperature also determines the maximum survival time for an exposed human being wearing little clothing; in this case, the window should have been two to three hours. Lastly, the victims’ stomach contents showed it’d been six to eight hours since their last meals.

Putting this all together, the skiers pitched camp before nightfall, likely fled between 1:30 am and 5:30 am, and perished between 4:30 am and 7:30 am.

If you're envisioning a typical avalanche, this doesn’t make much sense. For one thing, the rescue team didn’t see any sign of a massive movement of snow—they had easily spotted the tent, and it was not deeply buried. Plus, the slope around the tent was 23 degrees on average, well below the 30 degree incline that scientists will tell you it takes to trigger an avalanche. When the adventurers had originally set up camp, they’d cut into the snow to level out a space. Yet investigators determined that the campers hadn’t fled until at least nine hours after making that cut. If the cut had triggered an avalanche, that slide should have happened immediately.

A simulation of a slab avalanche, without a delay. The impact of the snowman at bottom collapses a weak layer of underlying snow, causing the heavier slab on top to slide down the hill.

This all does make sense, though, to scientists Johan Gaume and Alexander Puzrin, who laid out their theory for the Dyatlov Pass incident today in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. (It is, incidentally, the first scientific paper I’ve ever read that mentions “attacks by Yetis.”) The conditions, they argue, could well have spawned what’s known as a delayed slab avalanche.

When the year's first snow falls, it comes in contact with ground that’s still relatively warm. But the air temperature has fallen dramatically, creating a temperature gradient that builds a porous crystalline material, known as a weak layer, that’s 80 percent air. On top of this, more snow falls, forming a denser slab. Think of it like a parking garage, with the weak layer being the parking spaces and the sparse pillars—lots of airy space. The solid ceiling above is the slab. Now if you somehow disturb that weak layer, knocking out those pillars, it’ll collapse, releasing the slab above it as an avalanche.

Or think of what happens when you stack two books on your palm, then tilt them: The top book slides off once it reaches a critical angle. During a slab avalanche, the same thing happens with that top layer of denser snow; it slides right off the lower layer.

Critically for our scenario, a slab avalanche doesn’t require a 30 degree slope to trigger it—it’s more like 20 degrees. The average slope above the adventurers’ camp was 23 degrees, and investigators found that at the time of the Dyatlov Pass incident, the base of the local snowpack was weak.

Here you can see how the dropped snowman causes a disturbance that spreads clear up the hill, freeing the slab of snow.

The cross-country skiers had actually pitched camp on a small step in the hillside, scooping away the snow to level it out. When they cut into the snowpack, they sliced through the weak layer, essentially initiating a countdown. “When you create a cut in the slope to install the tent, it's like when you remove a retaining wall,” says Gaume, a snow physicist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. The slab of denser snow now hung precariously over the camp. “All the ingredients were there,” Gaume adds. “There was a weak layer, there was a slab, and the slope angle was locally steeper than the critical angle.”

But why did the slab hang there—for between 9.5 and 13.5 hours by the researchers’ calculation, given the campers’ times of death—before crashing through the tent? This is very unlike a typical avalanche, which smashes down immediately after a disturbance, for instance an unfortunate snowboarder. “Very rarely there are cases when you throw explosives into a slope to trigger an avalanche, and then actually the avalanche releases, let's say half an hour later, or something like that,” says Jürg Schweizer, an avalanche scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, who wasn’t involved in this new work. “And then those avalanches are typically explained by saying, ‘Well, maybe you caused a subcritical failure and that then developed or grew within some time to critical size for crack propagation.’”

The delayed slab avalanche in question is a different beast. The weak layer around the camp was apparently still strong enough to initially support the snow for several hours, but there was another factor at play. Gaume and Puzrin knew from investigations of the incident that at the time weather stations had detected strong “katabatic” winds, a phrase taken from the Greek, meaning “to go down.” These winds do exactly that: Pulled by gravity, they descend rapidly from the tops of hills and mountains, scouring snow from higher elevations and depositing it below.

The researchers modeled how such winds could have built up snow above the tent, and how long it would have taken to reach a critical load that would cause the top slab to slip off the weaker layer below, now that its structural integrity was compromised by the cut. “This was how the loading was increasing,” says Gaume. “Because there was no other way—there was no snowfall on that night.” Sometime after midnight, enough weight had built above the weak layer that it suddenly collapsed, sending the slab into the tent. It would have been a relatively small avalanche—maybe 16 feet by 16 feet—which the researchers simulated with inspiration from the Disney snow model. It would have been enough to fill the hole the campers had dug into the snow, but not enough that the rescue team would be able to find clear signs of an avalanche 26 days later.

Here we see the disturbance caused not by an imaginary snowman, but by the combination of the cut above the tent and the snow deposited by wind.

An avalanche doesn’t need to be large, though, to cause grave damage to the human body. Typically, hikers who get caught up in one are likely to just suffocate. But in this case, none of the nine victims died of suffocation, and some had severe chest and head trauma.

This, too, can be explained by the dynamics of the slab avalanche and the downward winds. While it wasn’t snowing at the time of the incident, the katabatic winds would have produced a much more dangerous kind of deposit above the tent. “The wind was eroding and transporting the snow, which was made of very small crystals,” says Gaume. “And then when it deposits, [the crystals] are highly compacted.” This could have created a dense slab of snow that weighed perhaps 25 pounds per cubic foot. And even more unfortunate for our adventurers, they’d laid their skis out as a floor for their tent, creating a hard substrate for the snow to crush them against.

Gaume and Puzrin went even further by modeling what this trauma could have looked like. To calibrate their simulation, they used data from old automotive industry crash tests done using human cadavers, rather than dummies. (To be fair, it was the 1970s, which was a … different time.) They then modeled the release of simulated snow blocks of different sizes onto a digital model of a human body, and compared that to the crash test results. “What we saw is that it would not be fatal, but it would create moderate-to-serious injuries,” says Gaume. (Below, you can see the damage a chunk of snow a meter across could do.)

Because the snow deposited by the wind would have been very dense, even a small avalanche could have caused serious injury to the campers in the tent.

From this, they concluded that the mountaineers survived the initial crush of snow, cutting their way out of the tent, although some of them were seriously injured. But if they’d escaped a relatively small avalanche, why would they flee over half a mile away, instead of sticking around to dig out their supplies, especially their boots? Investigators found the group had actually stashed another set of supplies in the forest, so perhaps they’d set out for them in a panic. “You start to cut the tent from the inside to get out,” says Gaume. “You see there was an avalanche, and then you might be afraid of a second avalanche. And so they may have decided that the best option would probably be to go to the forest, make a fire, and try to find the supply.”

But, clad in little clothing, they didn’t survive more than a few hours in the biting cold. They had no way of knowing the intricate dynamics of a slab avalanche, and that, shocked as they were, it may have been safe to dig out their supplies and move along.

“It really does look to me that an avalanche is the most plausible explanation of the situation,” says Jordy Hendrikx, a snow avalanche scientist at Montana State University, who wasn’t involved in this new work. “I think it's exciting that someone like Johan [Gaume], with the skill set that he has and the way that he's developed his models, can give us some more insights on that.”

Back in 1959, investigators had a more limited understanding of how avalanches work. They didn’t realize, for instance, that under the right conditions, it’s perfectly reasonable for an avalanche to slide on a slope of less than 30 degrees. So for a while, authorities suspected local peoples of murdering the adventurers. And if an avalanche didn’t seem particularly plausible, why not consider the supernatural? “I think aliens and Yeti are fun ideas,” says Hendrikx. “And especially given the time, the Soviet Union and, even more recently, Russia, aren’t known for transparency in their information. So I can understand why these wild theories have come together.”

While this new slab avalanche theory actually has scientific rigor to it, it remains exactly that: a theory. After all, no eyewitnesses survived. “I want to be clear that we do not claim that we solve the mystery,” says Gaume. “I mean, no one wants this mystery to be solved in Russia. This is part of the Russian lore.”

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