New work explores why consciousness evolved and what observing birds can teach us about its biological purpose.

When René Descartes watched a mechanical figure move with lifelike precision in the 17th century, the scene unsettled him.

"One Hand Clapping" draws from neuroscience, evolution, philosophy and a rich tapestry of cultural references to examine how ...

An amazing phenomenon is occurring on Earth right now. Those who can see the collective baseline consciousness of mankind can ...

Back at the turn of the penultimate century, the Spanish biologist Santiago Ramón y Cajal used a new staining technique that allowed scientists to see, for the first time, the individual cells of the ...

Consciousness evolved in stages, starting with basic survival responses like pain and alarm, then expanding into focused awareness and self-reflection. These layers help organisms avoid danger, learn ...

Understanding the biological basis of consciousness or subjective experience is one of the most exciting and challenging projects of this century. For many reasons, an evolutionary approach to this ...

The brain is a physical organ—that much is clear to everyone. But how do we understand the mind and consciousness—what is it and how did it evolve? Source: Thinkstock Do you think of yourself as ...

This article originally appeared on Undark. If you could upload your consciousness to the cloud and live forever as a mind in the metaverse, would you do it? Think carefully before answering. In ...

Understanding the biological basis of consciousness or subjective experience is one of the most exciting and challenging projects of this century. For many reasons, an evolutionary approach to this ...