Consciousness
Surges of Activity in the Dying Human Brain Could Hint at Fleeting Conscious Experiences
An increase in activity in dying brains might be associated with last-minute conscious experiences, but scientists don’t know for sure
Consciousness29 articles archived since 1845
Animals
How Scientists Are Using AI to Talk to Animals
Portable sensors and artificial intelligence are helping researchers decode animal communication—and begin to talk back to nonhumans
Consciousness
Free Will Is Only an Illusion if You Are, Too
New research findings, combined with philosophy, suggest free will is real but may not operate in the ways people expect
Consciousness
This Year’s Most Thought-Provoking Brain Discoveries
Neural circuits that label experiences as “good” or “bad” and the emotional meaninglessness of facial expressions are some standouts among 2022’s mind and brain breakthroughs...
Neuroscience
See the Top Entries in the Art of Neuroscience Competition
Van Gogh and Ramón y Cajal, like you’ve never seen them before, in the annual Art of Neuroscience Competition
Artificial Intelligence
Google Engineer Claims AI Chatbot Is Sentient: Why That Matters
Is it possible for an artificial intelligence to be sentient?
Consciousness
We Shouldn’t Try to Make Conscious Software—Until We Should
Eventually, the most ethical option might be to divert all resources toward building very happy machines
Consciousness
Astonishing Conscious Mind
Neuroscientists may have discovered the brain regions that give rise to our identity
Consciousness
Death, Physics and Wishful Thinking
Fear of mortality might underlie physicists’ fondness for the anthropic principle, multiverses, superdeterminism and other shaky ideas
Behavior
What God, Quantum Mechanics and Consciousness Have in Common
Theories that try to explain these big metaphysical mysteries fall short, making agnosticism the only sensible stance
Cognition
Hypnosis Experts Cast Doubt on Famous Psychological Experiments
Suggestibility may explain why people “feel” vicarious pain or sensation in a fake hand
Cognition
Constant Shifts between Mental States Mark a Signature of Consciousness
Both of two essential brain networks that switch roles—one is on when the other is off—shut down in unresponsive individuals
Cognition
Does Consciousness Pervade the Universe?
Philosopher Philip Goff answers questions about “panpsychism”
Consciousness
The Science of Consciousness
How do neurons create feelings of sadness? Or the sense of a unique self? On the other hand, could conscious thought be an illusion? The nature of conscious experience is one of the most essential, enduring mysteries, and in this eBook we explore the diverse and sometimes contentious approaches to defining consciousness, research into its physical footprints, advances in measuring conscious awareness and emerging technologies bringing artificial intelligence systems closer to adapting and learning like a human brain...
Neuroscience
The Neuroscience of Reality
Reality is constructed by the brain, and no two brains are exactly alike
Cognition
There Is No Such Thing as Conscious Thought
Philosopher Peter Carruthers insists that conscious thought, judgment and volition are illusions. They arise from processes of which we are forever unaware
Cognition
The Brain’s Autopilot Mechanism Steers Consciousness
Freud’s notion of a dark, libidinous unconscious is obsolete. A new theory holds that the brain produces a continuous stream of unconscious predictions
Computing
Computers Determine States of Consciousness
A machine learning algorithm uses EEG traces to find a patient’s odds of waking
Biotech
New Atlas Used to ID Brain Parts for Plans and Actions
A detailed picture of cell types in some areas of the mouse cortex is put to the test
Cognition
Are Humans the Only Conscious Animal?
Decoding the puzzle of human consciousness
