Near death experiences, of which there seems to be no dearth, apparently
always involve intense light. Peter Sellers, for example, quoted in The Near
Death Experience, edited by Lee Bailey and Jenny Yates (Routledge, £14.99,
ISBN 0 415 91431 0) saw a hand reaching for him out of dazzling light. Half the
book is about near-dying, the other and more interesting part is discussion of
NDEs’ causes and significance, ranging from hallucination by the oxygen-starved
brain to “no-thing-ness” and the beyond.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features

Mind
The relationship recession is even bigger for Gen Z than we thought
News

Technology
Killer robots are here – we must finally decide whether to accept them
Leader

Technology
Quantum computer quickly mines cryptocurrency while using less energy
News

Mind
How to sparkle in conversation with strangers
Comment
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time
2
The relationship recession is even bigger for Gen Z than we thought
3
A golden age of maths is dawning and mathematicians are freaking out
4
Why you need to future-proof your brain in middle age and how to start
5
This mesmerising Cornish time-travel film is not to be missed
6
It’s your perception of sleep that’s making you feel tired all day
7
How human error became a weapon against large language models
8
How to sparkle in conversation with strangers
9
What is a ‘normal’ memory slowdown, and when should I worry?
10
The looming El Niño could be bad – but much worse is to come