user295: The following touches on the ability to know other people's thoughts at a much grosser level than developed through meditation: How we read each other's minds.
What are the research based or scientific explanation on the working of Abhiññā / Iddhi? What kind of cues do Jhāna help pick up?

user4901: Gathering of knowledge for attaining supernatural powers?
There has been a lot of research on this. During the '60's many universities in the US did various forms of paranormal research. Test subjects were collected and some filled with various kinds of experimental drugs to get results of different kinds. Some of these studies has been published for public viewing and some not. Also the Russians did research on this, but it is not known how far they got and nothing has ever been published. There are some rumors saying that they are still very active in this field.
There is an article on the subject here
http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195393521/obo-9780195393521-0112.xml

user10100: If "based on science" means 'possible to do/follow/reproduce in real life', the answer appeared in Abhidhamma (as follows).
A person's mind arises and immediately vanishes more than trillions of times per second. And one person per one mind per time.
There are 2 types of mind by job:

mind which arises for life saving (sleeping mind; know only rebirth-kamma's object) and 
mind which arises for knowing new object from a sense of 6 senses.

This 2 types arise switch each other whole life, from the rebirth to death. For example, while you reading this answer, these 2 types, included sleeping mind, still arise and vanish uncountable. And this  sleeping mind drops human abilities, such as abhiññā.
There are 2 types of mind which knowing new object by job, too:

wholesome mind (kusala)
unwholesome mind (akusala)

Only unwholesome mind drops human abilities, such as abhiññā.
The trick of Abhiññā / Iddhi
The trick of jhāna is very simple and powerful: it is "how to pause sleeping mind and unwholesome mind", then "how to rising up wholesome mind continuously, development" (as much as sleeping mind/unwholesome mind  can't arise, between the long period of wholesome minds arising).
Then the trick of abhiññā is very simple and powerful as well: it is "how to be professional of jhāna enough to get abhiññā which can adapting jhāna affects daily life more than the pure jhāna without abhiññā".
It's something like the professors of science/history/business/etc. They can see the future of their expertise and control it like what they want it be. But someone who never practice like them can't understand many of their speech. Similarly, the Abhiñño people can control their expert minds to do what they want, such as seeing the other minds, seeing the future, etc.
See citta-visuddhi-niddesa in  path of purification.

295: <p>The following touches on the ability to know other people's thoughts at a much grosser level than developed through meditation: <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/rebecca_saxe_how_brains_make_moral_judgments?language=en" rel="nofollow noreferrer">How we read each other's minds</a>.</p>

<p>What are the research based or scientific explanation on the working of Abhiññā / Iddhi? What kind of cues do Jhāna help pick up?</p>
 4901: <p>Gathering of knowledge for attaining supernatural powers?</p>

<p>There has been a lot of research on this. During the '60's many universities in the US did various forms of paranormal research. Test subjects were collected and some filled with various kinds of experimental drugs to get results of different kinds. Some of these studies has been published for public viewing and some not. Also the Russians did research on this, but it is not known how far they got and nothing has ever been published. There are some rumors saying that they are still very active in this field.</p>

<p>There is an article on the subject here
<a href="http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195393521/obo-9780195393521-0112.xml" rel="nofollow">http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195393521/obo-9780195393521-0112.xml</a></p>
 10100: <p>If "based on science" means 'possible to do/follow/reproduce in real life', the answer appeared in <a href="http://www.palikanon.com/english/sangaha/sangaha.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Abhidhamma</a> (as follows).</p>

<p>A person's mind arises and immediately vanishes more than trillions of times per second. And one person per one mind per time.</p>

<p>There are 2 types of mind by job:</p>

<ol>
<li>mind which arises for life saving (sleeping mind; know only rebirth-kamma's object) and </li>
<li>mind which arises for knowing new object from a sense of 6 senses.</li>
</ol>

<p>This 2 types arise switch each other whole life, from the rebirth to death. For example, while you reading this answer, these 2 types, included sleeping mind, still arise and vanish uncountable. And this  sleeping mind drops human abilities, such as abhiññā.</p>

<p>There are 2 types of mind which knowing new object by job, too:</p>

<ol>
<li>wholesome mind (kusala)</li>
<li>unwholesome mind (akusala)</li>
</ol>

<p>Only unwholesome mind drops human abilities, such as abhiññā.</p>

<h2>The trick of Abhiññā / Iddhi</h2>

<p>The trick of jhāna is very simple and powerful: it is "how to pause sleeping mind and unwholesome mind", then "how to rising up wholesome mind continuously, development" (as much as sleeping mind/unwholesome mind  can't arise, between the long period of wholesome minds arising).</p>

<p>Then the trick of abhiññā is very simple and powerful as well: it is "how to be professional of jhāna enough to get abhiññā which can adapting jhāna affects daily life more than the pure jhāna without abhiññā".</p>

<p>It's something like the professors of science/history/business/etc. They can see the future of their expertise and control it like what they want it be. But someone who never practice like them can't understand many of their speech. Similarly, the Abhiñño people can control their expert minds to do what they want, such as seeing the other minds, seeing the future, etc.</p>

<p>See <em>citta-visuddhi-niddesa</em> in  <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nanamoli/PathofPurification2011.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">path of purification</a>.</p>
