What does it mean to be conscious? People have been thinking and writing about this question for millennia. Yet many things about the conscious mind remain a mystery, including how to measure and ...

For centuries, the question of what consciousness is—where it comes from, and what it does—was left to philosophers and mystics. But now, scientists across biology, neuroscience, and physics are ...

An unprecedented brain study has delivered fresh clues about consciousness—suggesting it's more about perception than planning. Two leading theories went head-to-head, but neither emerged victorious.

The origin of consciousness has teased the minds of philosophers and scientists for centuries. In the last decade, neuroscientists have begun to piece together its neural underpinnings—that is, how ...

Some researchers believe consciousness is a byproduct of the constantly firing web of neurons in our heads. However, others believe something more theoretical must be involved to explain our complex ...

Where in the brain does consciousness originate? Theories abound, but neuroscientists still haven’t coalesced around one explanation, largely because it’s such a hard question to probe with the ...

This is Part 3 of a five-part series on cognition and consciousness. Part 1 explored what we mean by "cognition." Part 2 examined neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux’s account of mental models. Here we turn ...

A group of prominent biologists and philosophers announced a new consensus: There’s “a realistic possibility” that insects, octopuses, crustaceans, fish and other overlooked animals experience ...

Consciousness is the ultimate question of existence. Nothing is more essential than our experience. Yet we have no consensus, and perhaps no clue, about what it actually is. The trouble, in part, is ...

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their ...

Peter Coppola does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond ...