How consciousness may rely on brain cells acting collectively – new psychedelics research on rats
We still don’t know a lot about how the networks of cells in the brain enable conscious experience.
Aug. 17, 2023 • ~7 min
Google's powerful AI spotlights a human cognitive glitch: Mistaking fluent speech for fluent thought
Fluent expression is not always evidence of a mind at work, but the human brain is primed to believe so. A pair of cognitive linguistics experts explain why language is not a good test of sentience.
June 24, 2022 • ~9 min
Monkeys can sense their own heartbeats, an ability tied to mental health, consciousness and memory in humans
Researchers used a test designed for babies to show that rhesus monkeys can sense their own heartbeats. The finding opens up important paths of research into consciousness and mental health issues.
April 11, 2022 • ~5 min
Clues to consciousness: how dopamine fits into the mystery of what makes us conscious – podcast
Plus, how a team of musicologists and computer scientists completed Beethoven’s unfinished 10th Symphony using AI. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.
Oct. 7, 2021 • ~4 min
It's still not fully understood how placebos work – but an alternative theory of consciousness could hold some clues
The mind is a powerful thing – it can generate both symptoms of illness and symptoms of healing. Here’s what this could tell us about consciousness.
Sept. 8, 2021 • ~8 min
Consciousness: how the brain chemical 'dopamine' plays a key role – new research
Drugs which act through the brain chemical dopamine may one day help restore consciousness in people who have lost it.
Aug. 4, 2021 • ~7 min
Can consciousness be explained by quantum physics? My research takes us a step closer to finding out
New experiments could help scientists settle the longstanding debate about whether consciousness is generated by quantum activity.
July 19, 2021 • ~8 min
Is it time to give up on consciousness as 'the ghost in the machine'?
Consciousness is sometimes referred to as 'the ghost' in the machinery of our brain. Is it time we gave up the ghost to focus on the machine?
June 3, 2021 • ~7 min
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