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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keep Mosquitoes Away with These Tried-and-True Repellents

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

Ozempic Quiets Food Noise in the Brain—But How?

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

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

Canceled Experiment to Block the Sun Won't Stop Rich Donors from Trying

A botched geoengineering experiment to limit the amount of sunlight hitting Earth hasn't dimmed donors' enthusiasm for funding the research

Can AI Save Schr├╢dinger's Cat?

Outcomes in quantum mechanics depend on observations. But must the observer be human?

What Vitamins and Minerals Really Do in Your Body

Humans need around 30 vitamins and minerals to keep our bodies functioning

The Science Is Clear: Offshore Wind Isn't What's Killing Whales

Politicians and nonprofit groups have blamed offshore wind turbines for whale deaths, but the science doesn't support those claims—at all

Scientist Pankaj

Today in Science: Humans think unbelievably slowly

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