We don’t know where consciousness comes from Henrik5000/iStockphoto/Getty Images One of the leading theories of consciousness, known as integrated information theory or IIT, has been branded a pseudoscience in an open letter by 124 neuroscientists, including some of the field’s biggest names. The letter, which was posted online last week […]
consciousness
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Can machines think? Not yet, according to a review Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images Are artificial intelligences conscious? No, is the conclusion of the most thorough and rigorous investigation of the question, despite the impressive abilities of the latest AI models like ChatGPT. But the team of philosophy, computing and neuroscience experts […]
Magnetic resonance imaging scans of the brain can reveal how clusters of nerve cells may be connected to each other Larisa Bozhikova / Alamy A map of brain structures involved in keeping us awake could eventually help to improve people’s recovery following surgery or comas. Consciousness has two major components: […]
The mystery of “hidden consciousness” — the puzzling phenomenon in which brain-injured patients can appear comatose despite having some awareness — may have been solved. Researchers from New York City have identified the specific injuries that can prevent patients from reacting but also leave them able to comprehend instructions. The […]
Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images THE quest to understand the human brain and its most mysterious output – consciousness – has been ongoing for centuries. There are now several competing ideas that seek to explain how we generate the sensations of sentience, but, so far, progress has been slow. One idea, known […]
MRI brain scans taken while people are anaesthetised support the integrated information theory of consciousness Andrew Brookes/Image Source/Getty Images Brain scans taken as people slip into into anaesthesia are offering support for one of the foremost explanations of consciousness. The approach may lead to progress in understanding the brain as […]
On a muggy June night in Greenwich Village, more than 800 neuroscientists, philosophers and curious members of the public packed into an auditorium. They came for the first results of an ambitious investigation into a profound question: What is consciousness? To kick things off, two friends — David Chalmers, a […]
Researchers are still looking for brain cells that give rise consciousness Shutterstock/MattL_Images It is Friday night in New York City. Nearly a thousand people are packed into a theatre, eyes glued to the stage, the atmosphere electric. The crowd isn’t gathered here for a stand-up comedian or musician – instead […]