Neuroscience

Pentagon explores ‘sixth sense’ seemingly displayed in war zones

The U.S. military wants to know why some troops deployed to war zones seem to have a “sixth sense” or “Spidey sense” that alerts them to IEDs, snipers and other existential threats.

A four-year study worth $3.85 million began in 2014 to better understand “sensemaking,” or the ability of personnel to make “connections (which can be among people, places, and events) in order to anticipate their trajectories and act effectively.”

Annie Jacobsen, author of “Phenomena,” recently interviewed officials involved in the Office of Naval Research project.