Past research, including Raymond Moody’s 1975 study of 150 people, found common reports of leaving the body, moving through tunnels, and seeing light beings.
The fate of human consciousness after death remains one of life’s deepest mysteries, inspiring scientific studies and spiritual speculation alike.
Dr Sam Parnia, associate professor of medicine at New York University Langone, says modern resuscitation has challenged old definitions of death. “We don’t think that term ‘near-death experience’ is accurate anymore… now we use ‘recalled experience of death,’” he told a University of Chicago podcast.
A 2025 University of Michigan study monitored four patients after life support removal. Two showed bursts of heart rate and brain activity in regions linked to dreaming and altered states, while the others did not. “How vivid experience can emerge from a dysfunctional brain… is a neuroscientific paradox,” said collaborator Dr George Mashour.
Past research, including Raymond Moody’s 1975 study of 150 people, found common reports of leaving the body, moving through tunnels, and seeing light beings.
While some scientists link such visions to brain function or survival reflexes, religious traditions like Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism view death as a transition — to the afterlife or reincarnation.
The ultimate answer remains elusive, but research and belief systems continue to shape humanity’s search for meaning beyond life’s end.