Cracking consciousness will never be easy but we are making strides
19 July 2023
A new way to understand where consciousness comes from and novel insights into subjective thought show that the hard problem of consciousness is worth persevering with
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Premium
Brain scans are putting a major theory of consciousness to the test
18 July 2023
A proposed way to measure consciousness called integrated information theory has been tested using data from human brain scans, and seems to work
Religious leaders given psilocybin say they "felt God"
28 June 2023
Senior religious figures from a diverse range of faiths took psilocybin as part of a study on how people's worldviews influence their psychedelic experiences. Many said they felt the divine
How does consciousness arise? A 25-year-old bet has now been decided
26 June 2023
Twenty-five years ago, a neuroscientist and a philosopher bet a case of fine wine on whether scientists would have cracked the neural basis of consciousness by 2023. Now, one of them conceded the prize
Psychedelics may increase entropy in the brain's vision centre
28 April 2023
Computer simulations of a human brain under the influence of LSD show that entropy increases the most in regions responsible for processing vision and integrating sensory information
Your brain produces more entropy while you are awake
8 February 2023
By analysing brain scans of asleep and awake people, researchers have found that the amount of entropy our brains produce varies with consciousness
Will 2023 be the year we finally understand consciousness?
28 December 2022
In 1998, two researchers made a bet that by 2023, we would have found a sign of consciousness within the brain. As the wager comes due, how close are we to an answer?
Read New Scientist’s 5 best long reads of 2022 for free
25 December 2022
To celebrate the end of the year, our editors have picked New Scientist’s very best features of 2022. And as a gift from us to you, they are all free to read until 1 January
Does your houseplant have feelings?
24 August 2022
The idea of plant consciousness may be wild, but finding objective ways to probe their inner lives could bring benefits to us all
Quantum experiments add weight to a fringe theory of consciousness
18 April 2022
Experiments on how anaesthetics alter the behaviour of tiny structures found in brain cells bolster the controversial idea that quantum effects in the brain might explain consciousness
