ScientistPankaj: Week in Science: Advanced meditation alters consciousness

Friday, June 28, 2024

Week in Science: Advanced meditation alters consciousness

June 28—This week, scientists uncover traces of a massive ancient river system beneath Antarctic ice. Plus, we share the best repellants to keep away mosquitoes and the findings of a recent study linking plant-based ultraprocessed food and heart disease. All that and more below!

--Sunya Bhutta, Chief Audience Engagement Editor

Top Stories

A person sitting in meditation pose in with a mountain landscape in the background.

Advanced Meditation Alters Consciousness and Our Basic Sense of Self

An emerging science of advanced meditation could transform mental health and our understanding of consciousness

Matthew D. Sacchet; Judson A. Brewer

Snow blackened by algae with pink sunset in background and blue ocean front

Giant Viruses Discovered in Arctic Ice Could Slow Sea-Level Rise

Scientists recently discovered giant viruses infecting algal blooms that dot the Greenland ice sheet

Francisco "A.J." Camacho; Chelsea Harvey; E&E News

3D illustration of a conveyor belt in a food processing facility with packaged plant-based meat alternative veggie burgers

No, Fake Meat Wasn't Found to Cause Heart Disease, as Some Headlines Suggest

A recent study found that eating ultraprocessed plant-based foods was linked to heart attack and stroke risk. But the devil is in the details

Lori Youmshajekian

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft approaches the International Space Station on its first crewed test flight

How Worried Should We Be about Starliner's Stranded Astronauts?

On its first crewed flight, troubling technical glitches with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft have left two astronauts in limbo onboard the International Space Station

Lee Billings

A section of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet with mountains is viewed from a window of a NASA Operation IceBridge airplane on October 28, 2016.

Ancient River System Discovered Beneath Antarctic Ice

Beneath the Antarctic ice, scientists find remnants of a giant river system that flowed for thousands of miles

Kristel Tjandra; LiveScience

Low angle photograph of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., with the Authority of Law statue in the foreground

A Supreme Court Ruling May Make It Harder for Government Agencies to Use Good Science

The Supreme Court is considering the fate of Chevron deference, a 40-year legal principle that has shaped the role of government agencies. The outcome could affect medication approval, pollution regulation, and more

Meghan Bartels

Illustration of criss-crossed fork and spear with different meats on their ends

To Follow the Real Early Human Diet, Eat Everything

Nutrition influencers claim we should eat meat-heavy diets like our ancestors did. But our ancestors didn't actually eat that way

Kate Wong

High angle closeup of Black woman spaying legs with bug repellent

Keep Mosquitoes Away with These Tried-and-True Repellents

Mosquito experts break down how to choose and use the best mosquito repellents

Riis Williams, intern writer

Pink illustration of a statue head, with its head in the clouds, thinking about various foods

Ozempic Quiets Food Noise in the Brain—But How?

Blockbuster weight-loss drugs are revealing how appetite, pleasure and addiction work in the brain

Lauren J. Young

Brick building with small windows some with Air Conditioners and others with clothes hanging outside.

In a First, Cooling Costs for Public Housing Residents Will Be Covered

The Department of Housing and Urban Development long refused to pay cooling costs for public housing, but climate-change-fueled heat waves have underscored the public health need

Thomas Frank; E&E News