Guardian Science Weekly

What could near-death experiences teach us about life, death and consciousness?

Loading player...
Seeing a bright light, floating above your body, being guided by an angel. All of these are common elements of reported near-death experiences, but what’s really going on? Ian Sample meets Sam Parnia, an intensive care doctor and associate professor at NYU Grossman school of medicine in New York City who has spent his career exploring the boundary between life and death. He tells Ian how he believes these experiences can be explained and what medicine can learn from them. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
31 Oct 2023 English United Kingdom Science · Nature

Other recent episodes

Can a name change transform PCOS outcomes for women?

After more than a decade of global consultation, polycystic ovary syndrome – which affects as many as one in eight women – has been renamed. The condition is caused by high levels of androgens, which can lead to symptoms such as excess hair, weight gain and irregular periods. To understand…
21 May 16 min

Ebola outbreak: what do we know and can it be contained?

An outbreak of Ebola has emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, which has led to nearly 400 confirmed cases and more than 100 deaths. To find out how the outbreak might have begun, what authorities can do to contain it and why this outbreak is causing particular…
18 May 13 min

Hantavirus update, Pentagon’s UFO files, can art slow biological ageing?

Madeleine Finlay sits down with co-host and science editor Ian Sample to discuss three eyecatching stories from the week, including an update on hantavirus. Also on the agenda is the Pentagon’s release of a tranche of never before seen documents relating to UFOs, and a study looking at the link…
14 May 21 min

Trump is backing psychedelic research: here’s why

Last month President Trump signed an executive order designed to fast track both research and access to psychedelic drugs as treatments for mental health illnesses. The most prominent in the order was ibogaine, a drug derived from the root bark of a West African shrub, that has shown some promise…
12 May 17 min
All episodes