In 2007, a study titled "Video ergo sum: manipulating bodily self-consciousness" was published in Science. The research, conducted by Bigna Lenggenhager, Tej Tadi, Thomas Metzinger, and Olaf Blanke, explored how bodily self-consciousness can be manipulated through virtual reality. The study used multisensory conflict to disrupt the spatial unity between the self and the body, leading participants to experience a virtual body as their own and mislocalize themselves outside their physical body. This experiment demonstrated that bodily self-consciousness can be studied experimentally and is based on multisensory and cognitive processing of bodily information. The study also examined the concept of self-consciousness, highlighting the distinction between bodily self-consciousness and cognitive or emotional layers. It showed that the sense of selfhood is experienced as a transparent content of a single, coherent whole-body representation, rather than multiple representations of separate body parts. The research found that participants could be induced to experience a virtual body as their own, leading to a mislocalization of their self to a position outside their physical body. The study's findings support the idea that bodily self-consciousness can be dissociated from one's physical body position, suggesting that mechanisms beyond visual-somatosensory integration are involved in generating full-blown out-of-body experiences. The research also indicated that the species concept proposed by Dykhuizen and Green may not fully capture incipient species, as genetic isolation between Escherichia and Salmonella occurred over a long period with continued recombination at some loci. The study's implications extend to understanding the neurobiological basis of self-consciousness and the role of multisensory integration in shaping our sense of self. The findings contribute to the ongoing discussion about the nature of self-consciousness and the mechanisms underlying bodily self-awareness.In 2007, a study titled "Video ergo sum: manipulating bodily self-consciousness" was published in Science. The research, conducted by Bigna Lenggenhager, Tej Tadi, Thomas Metzinger, and Olaf Blanke, explored how bodily self-consciousness can be manipulated through virtual reality. The study used multisensory conflict to disrupt the spatial unity between the self and the body, leading participants to experience a virtual body as their own and mislocalize themselves outside their physical body. This experiment demonstrated that bodily self-consciousness can be studied experimentally and is based on multisensory and cognitive processing of bodily information. The study also examined the concept of self-consciousness, highlighting the distinction between bodily self-consciousness and cognitive or emotional layers. It showed that the sense of selfhood is experienced as a transparent content of a single, coherent whole-body representation, rather than multiple representations of separate body parts. The research found that participants could be induced to experience a virtual body as their own, leading to a mislocalization of their self to a position outside their physical body. The study's findings support the idea that bodily self-consciousness can be dissociated from one's physical body position, suggesting that mechanisms beyond visual-somatosensory integration are involved in generating full-blown out-of-body experiences. The research also indicated that the species concept proposed by Dykhuizen and Green may not fully capture incipient species, as genetic isolation between Escherichia and Salmonella occurred over a long period with continued recombination at some loci. The study's implications extend to understanding the neurobiological basis of self-consciousness and the role of multisensory integration in shaping our sense of self. The findings contribute to the ongoing discussion about the nature of self-consciousness and the mechanisms underlying bodily self-awareness.