Wait, Are We In a Simulation? This DMT laser experiment suggests yes, but neuroscientists say probably not.

A growing subculture claims that DMT and a red laser can reveal a hidden code lurking beneath everyday life. But are we sure it is actually there?

'It's an optical illusion, and some people can perceive them better than others.'

New for DoubleBlind

newsletter.doubleblindmag.com/p/wait-are-w...

Why America is falling out of love with cocaine America's cocaine use is quietly collapsing — even as the drug floods the market at record purity and historic low prices.

You would think from the media and Trump’s aggression against Venezuela that cocaine use in the U.S. is booming. In fact unlike most of the world, it’s falling. My first for @san.com 👇

san.com/cc/why-ameri...

‘I was beaten and tortured’: how a British father and son made a fortune in Dubai then became wanted men As the Middle East is drawn into war, expats and influencers are under pressure to only share the positive side of the UAE. In reality many are at risk of being put behind bars, and often find the UK ...

Albert Douglas, a British businessman, was imprisoned in Dubai for five years over debts incurred by his son's company. Many others like him remain behind bars.

My latest for the @theguardian.com Saturday Magazine

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

“They Put Something in Me.” Neil Whitehead Was Haunted by Guyana’s Dark Shamans Until His Death. A renowned researcher died after becoming obsessed with dark shamans. I traveled to Guyana to see if the stories were true.

I've got a new story over at Outside. It's one I've been working on for many years: The story of Neil Whitehead, an anthropologist who was investigating the dark shamans known as "kanaiama." Here's the intro along with some photos from Guyana.

frankbures.com/2026/04/01/d...

The UK’s 'Cannabis Martyr' Keeps Opening Weed Cafes. Britain Keeps Locking Him Up. | High Times Gary Youds has spent nearly 20 years opening cannabis cafes in Liverpool, getting raided, getting jailed, and refusing to stop.

Gary Youds is best known as the UK’s ‘cannabis martyr.’ He is currently spending his sixth stint in jail for operating an illegal cannabis cafe in Liverpool.

From prison, he told High Times: ‘I’m fighting for freedom for all.’

hightimes.com/activism/gar...

Could a Psychedelic Stop Your Brain From Aging? Longevity Guru Bryan Johnson Is Giving It a Shot Centimillionaire longevity guru Bryan Johnson took 5-MeO-DMT, a powerful psychedelic, on livestream — part of his quest to live forever.

Bryan Johnson is taking psychedelic exhibitionism to a new frontier. Almost 700k people have watched a video of him smoking the most potent hallucinogen. In his everlasting life quest, his next live-stream might be a sex tutorial

New for @rollingstone.com

www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...

The Men Obsessed With ‘High T’ Fueled by the manosphere, men are boosting their testosterone levels through natural and synthetic means, with some competitively swapping test results on a regular basis.

Driven by MAHA and the manosphere, some men are boosting their testosterone through diets and TRT, and competitively comparing their test results, in a bid to be "High T." From @matthabusby.bsky.social: www.wired.com/story/the-me...

The Men Obsessed With ‘High T’ Fueled by the manosphere, men are boosting their testosterone levels through natural and synthetic means, with some competitively swapping test results on a regular basis.

In some circles, men now test their testosterone every six months—swapping numbers in locker rooms and group chats the way they compare bench press stats—as they try to counter a significant decline in average testosterone levels in recent years.

Latest for @wired.com

www.wired.com/story/the-me...

The Men Obsessed With ‘High T’ Fueled by the manosphere, men are boosting their testosterone levels through natural and synthetic means, with some competitively swapping test results on a regular basis.

Fueled by the manosphere, men are boosting their testosterone levels through natural and synthetic means, with some competitively swapping test results on a regular basis. www.wired.com/story/the-me...

Psychedelics may be no better than antidepressants for depression Drugs like psilocybin that induce psychedelic effects have shown promise for treating depression. Now, a review of the evidence suggests that they are effective, but no more so than traditional antide...

Psychedelics may be no more effective than traditional antidepressants for treating depression, according to a new meta-analysis

For @newscientist.com

www.newscientist.com/article/2519...

Wild Tales from the Frontline of 𝐃𝐫𝐮𝐠 Culture (PODCAST) YouTube video by Simon Doherty

Enjoyed chatting to @simondoherty1.bsky.social on The Sesh Files. We covered an attempted murder on ayahuasca, a cocaine bar in Bolivia, chatbots getting 'high' on drugs, a suppressed drug decriminalisation govt report and the rise of ketamine-related paraphernalia

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbmH...

A smartphone app can help men last longer in bed In a randomised trial, men who experience premature ejaculation benefitted from using an app to learn techniques for extending intercourse

In a randomised trial, men with premature ejaculation more than doubled their average duration of intercourse thanks to a digital therapy app @newscientist.com

www.newscientist.com/article/2519...

‘I watched it endlessly as a teen’: why Mrs Doubtfire is my feelgood movie The latest in our series of writers singling out their go-to comfort watches is a look back at a complicated comedy showcase for Robin Williams

When Daniel gives his love rival Stu, who is allergic to pepper, a potentially life-saving Heimlich maneuver, the redemptive moral arc is complete

My feelgood movie for @theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ma...

Aliens Exist? Inside the Annual Expo Where UFO 'Disclosure' Is Only a Matter of Time Aura readers, quantum life coaches, and “starseeds” came together in Los Angeles. Together they're waiting

Disclosure 2026 — part revival meeting, part Comic-Con, part political rally

‘This next few years is the time for potential ET contact. I’m tuned into what’s going on astrologically.’

For @rollingstone.com

www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...

‘I Was Snorting 5 Grams a Day’: The Wild Life of a Cocaine-Addicted UN Worker Executions, police beatings, and meeting teenage dealers in the favelas—a UN insider reveals his secret double life of addiction.

‘I suppose no one would suspect a UN officer, wearing a UN jacket, would be doing lines in a police station toilet.’

The secret life of a cocaine-injecting UN worker for VICE

www.vice.com/en/article/u...

US basketball player Jarred Shaw escaped execution in Indonesia, but his prison ordeal continues The Texan made the mistake of his life when he ordered gummies to soothe symptoms of Crohn’s disease. Now his health is suffering in a foreign jail

US basketball player Jarred Shaw escaped execution in Indonesia, but his prison ordeal continues

The Texan made the mistake of his life when he ordered cannabis gummies to soothe symptoms of Crohn’s disease. Now his health is suffering in jail

@theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/f...

Was it a coincidental traffic stop or AI-powered surveillance? Nebraska deputies tracked Seth Ferranti with license plate readers before a marijuana stop, raising Fourth Amendment concerns.

Seth Ferranti was driving in Nebraska when cops pulled him, claiming he had wobbled onto the hard shoulder. Then they allegedly smelled cannabis, searched his truck and found 400lbs of weed. But was that the actual reason for the stop?

For @reason.com

reason.com/2026/02/18/w...

Psychedelic reduces depression symptoms after just one dose The psychedelic DMT has been linked to improved mental health outcomes before, but now, scientists have shown it reduces depression symptoms more than a placebo when given alongside therapeutic suppor...

A single dose of the psychedelic DMT had a rapid and sustained effect on depression in a small trial.

'The more someone felt a sense of unity; a change in how they experienced time and space, the more benefit they tended to report.'

For @newscientist.com

www.newscientist.com/article/2515...

‘Coca leaf is life itself’: Andean growers’ hopes fade as WHO upholds global ban Under US pressure as part of the ‘war on drugs’, the WHO still categorises the sacred Indigenous remedy as akin to heroin or fentanyl, despite its many therapeutic properties

“We have been using coca without any problems since the time of our ancestors. Now, producers are being pushed into the illegal cocaine market just to survive – unless we can sell our coca legally on international markets.”

Celibacy taught me I’m too clever to find love Before my sex hiatus, I prioritised physical chemistry over emotional intellect. Now, it feels impossible to meet someone with both

Six months without sex taught me about love. In the print copy of the @telegraph.co.uk today www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01...

‘A long time coming’: table tennis world hails Marty Supreme-fueled boom An Oscar-tipped cult biopic, sold-out matches and fresh faces at clubs suggest table tennis may finally be breaking free of its basement reputation in the US

For decades in the US, table tennis has lived a double life: one of the most widely played sports in the country, yet still dismissed by many as a basement pursuit. Now, unexpectedly, it is having a cultural moment

For @us.theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...

Sex was making my life chaotic - so I gave it up for six months If Lenny Kravitz could manage almost a decade without it while being a generational sex symbol, surely I could do half a year

In an age that perversely sells sex as self-actualisation, choosing not to have it feels strangely radical — and, unexpectedly, clarifying. For @theipaper.com

inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...

Drugs Are a Useful Weapon in America’s War Games Fearmongering about “narco-terrorism” was deployed to oust Maduro. In reality, it was always about capturing Venezuela’s oil.

Trotting out rhetoric about drug trafficking was a helpful pretext to remove Maduro in Venezuela — when oil was the real goal.

Drugs Are a Useful Weapon in America’s War Games Fearmongering about “narco-terrorism” was deployed to oust Maduro. In reality, it was always about capturing Venezuela’s oil.

What if cocaine trafficking wasn’t the completely heinous crime it is often made out to be?

New for @theintercept

theintercept.com/2026/01/22/v...

A 'Demon,' a Stabbing, and an Ayahuasca Trip Gone Wrong Julio Rivera spent two decades helping people exorcise dark energy through psychedelic journeys — until one almost ended his life.

A ‘Demon,’ a Stabbing, and an Ayahuasca Trip Gone Wrong

Julio Rivera spent two decades helping people exorcise dark energy through psychedelic journeys — until one almost ended his life.

A 'Demon,' a Stabbing, and an Ayahuasca Trip Gone Wrong Julio Rivera spent two decades helping people exorcise dark energy through psychedelic journeys — until one almost ended his life.

Julio Rivera spent two decades helping people exorcise dark energy through ayahuasca journeys — until a participant almost stabbed him to death

New for @rollingstone.com

www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...

I left the UK for Lisbon - expats like me have killed its soul With €5 coffees, soaring rents and understandably resentful locals, I felt like an active gentrifer in a foreign land - and left within a few months

Why on earth not move to Lisbon if you’re not shackled to grey Northern Europe? Well, because a million others have had the same idea already nationwide in less than a decade, rents have skyrocketed and the locals aren’t happy. For @theipaper.com (photos don’t fit mood)

inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...

Thanks Gillian!

Hahaha

I Gave Up Sex for 6 Months. Here’s What I Learned After a string of failed relationships, I took a vow of celibacy to figure out what was going wrong. As my haze of horniness cleared, I saw myself more clearly.

I quit sex and now I write essays about it. For @gqmagazine.bsky.social www.gq.com/story/i-gave...