Latest

consciousness

·December 23, 2025·9 min read

Consciousness May Require a New Kind of Computation

A new theoretical framework argues that the long-standing split between computational functionalism and biological naturalism misses how real brains actually compute. The authors propose “biological computationalism,” the idea that neural computation is inseparable from the brain’s physical, hybrid, and energy-constrained dynamics rather than an abstract algorithm running on hardware. In this view, discrete neural events and continuous physical processes form a tightly coupled system that cannot be reduced to symbolic information processing.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 16, 2025·9 min read

Why Consciousness Evolved

New work explores why consciousness evolved and what observing birds can teach us about its biological purpose. The findings outline three distinct forms of consciousness—basic arousal, general alertness, and reflexive self-awareness—each providing unique adaptive advantages.

This shows the outline of a head in psychedelic colors.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 24, 2025·4 min read

Psychedelic ‘Ego Death’ Tied to a Collapse in Alpha Brain Waves

A new study using DMT as a scientific tool reveals how psychedelics alter the brain’s alpha-wave dynamics and weaken our sense of self. The researchers found that DMT pushes the brain away from its usual “critical” balance between chaos and order, a state believed to be essential for coherent self-awareness over time.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·October 17, 2025·6 min read

Can a Disconnected Brain Be Conscious?

A new study reveals that sleep-like slow-wave brain activity can persist for years in surgically disconnected brain hemispheres of awake epilepsy patients. Using EEG recordings, researchers found that the isolated cortex exhibits patterns similar to deep sleep, anesthesia, or vegetative states—suggesting absent or reduced awareness.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 10, 2025·6 min read

Can Animals Feel? A New Roadmap for Consciousness

A philosophy scholar has developed a practical “decision tree” to help scientists and ethicists evaluate which creatures may be conscious.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 22, 2025·5 min read

Most Daily Actions Run on Habit, Not Conscious Choice

New research shows that nearly two-thirds of daily behaviors are triggered by habit rather than conscious decision-making. Participants often acted automatically in familiar settings, reflecting learned associations.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 15, 2025·5 min read

Illusion-Making Neurons Show How the Brain Constructs Reality

Scientists have discovered specialized IC-encoder neurons that make the brain “see” illusions, such as squares or triangles that aren’t truly there. These neurons receive top-down instructions from higher brain areas and then fill in missing contours in the visual cortex, actively constructing what we perceive.

This shows a person walking in a room surrounded by books and photos.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 28, 2025·6 min read

Inside the Minds That Never Forget: Exploring Hyperthymesia

Autobiographical memory allows us to relive experiences, form identity, and project into the future. A rare few, known as hyperthymesics, can recall events from their lives with remarkable precision, linking them to specific dates and vivid sensory details.

This shows a person listening to music in a meditative pose, surrounded by psychedelic swirls.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 27, 2025·5 min read

Breathwork and Music Trigger Psychedelic-Like Bliss in the Brain

New research shows that practicing breathwork while listening to music can induce profound altered states of consciousness similar to those caused by psychedelics. Using self-reports and brain imaging, scientists found that HVB both activated the body’s stress response and increased blood flow to emotion-processing regions like the amygdala and hippocampus.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 18, 2025·5 min read

Sleep to Consciousness: How the Brain Transitions from Dreams to Reality

Each morning, your brain undergoes a precise sequence to shift from sleep to wakefulness, reorienting you to the world. A study using high-density EEG recordings found that awakening begins in frontal regions and spreads backward, with distinct patterns depending on whether you wake from REM or non-REM sleep.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 15, 2025·4 min read

All Senses Activate Deep Brain Hubs for Focus and Consciousness

A new study reveals that all human senses—sight, hearing, taste, and touch—activate the same deep brain regions linked to consciousness when attention is sharply focused. Using fMRI data from over 1,500 healthy participants, researchers found that sensory input, regardless of the type, engages the midbrain reticular formation and central thalamus. These areas are crucial for regulating alertness, attention, and awareness.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 12, 2025·6 min read

Brain Wave Phase Locking May Be Key to Unconsciousness

Despite acting through different molecular mechanisms, ketamine and dexmedetomidine both disrupt brain wave phase alignment in ways that reliably induce unconsciousness. A new study reveals that these anesthetics trigger a common signature: increased phase locking at low frequencies, particularly between brain hemispheres, while disrupting local cortical communication.