A brain surgeon has claimed that heaven smells like fried chicken

Dr Eben Alexander's life support machine was nearly switched off by doctors after he suffered an E coli infection that ate into his brain but he suggested that he had "travelled to a heavenly dimension" during his week-long coma that had a "vivid aroma" of the meat.

He also suggests that heaven had "marshmallow clouds with valleys of lush and fertile greenery, where the waterfalls flowed into crystal pools".

Dr Alexander added in his book 'A Map of Heaven': "I witnessed stunning blue-black velvety skies filled with swooping orbs of golden light, angelic choirs leaving sparkling trails against the billowing clouds."

The brain surgeon has revealed that his experience means he is no longer dismissive of those who claim to have seen heaven before.

He said: "My knowledge of the brain made me quite sure that out-of-body experiences, angelic encounters and the like were hallucinations, brought on when the brain suffered a trauma.

"And then, in the most dramatic circumstances possible, I discovered proof that I was wrong."

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