Frontier EdgeThursday, October 22, 2026

Flickering Light Machine Reveals Altered States of Consciousness in 50,000 Subjects

Sourced from 5 publications

•A flickering light device has been tested on over 50,000 people, producing experiences of altered consciousness, grief, and peace, as reported by Popular Mechanics.
•New Scientist reader discussions explored how the brain constructs reality from incomplete sensory data, including whether olfactory illusions exist.
•A Current Biology paper tracked oxygen and temperature changes over a billion years, linking them to major shifts in marine animal habitats.
•New Scientist readers considered how Earth would differ if only anaerobic life existed, a scenario closely tied to the oxygen evolution research.

Sources

The Evolution Of Oxygen, Temperature, And Marine Aerobic Habitat For Animals Ove...

astrobiology

This Flickering Machine Can Hijack the Brain’s ‘Reality Engine’—And Reveal a Hid...

Popularmechanics

Hegseth approves testing of "heat ray" at the border. Here's how it works

Axios

On Another Planet They Can Save Me by Lieke Marsman review - an astonishing memo...

The Guardian

Minds I've Met review: Primatologist Frans de Waal's final book is a rich mix of...

Newscientist

Last Word: Is there also such a thing as an olfactory illusion? (part 4) | New S...

Newscientist

Last Word: How different would Earth be if anaerobic life were the only life for...

Newscientist

Last Word: What's the world actually like, if what we see is just our brain's in...

Newscientist

Last Word: This week’s new questions | New Scientist

Newscientist

Was this story useful?

Curated from 5 sources. Every summary is reviewed for accuracy, but may still contain errors. We always link to original sources for verification.