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 ...

New research suggests that consciousness originates in the subcortex, and is polished by the cortex and cerebellum.

The capacity for subjective experience, or sentience, is a defining feature of consciousness. An organism is considered sentient if “there is something it is like to be that organism.” 1 In his 2024 ...

Scholars from across the country and abroad gathered in Boston University’s Photonics Center for an all-day conference Saturday titled “Convergent Minds: The Evolution of Cognitive Complexity,” where ...

Valuable viruses / Frank P. Ryan -- More like a waterfall / William Day -- Alarmones / Antonio Lazcano, Arturo Becerra, and Luis Delaye -- Early sensibilities / Kenneth H. Nealson -- Smart bacteria / ...

Human beings are the only living creatures who can manage their own evolution. We can decide to progress and grow or to devolve and ultimately destroy ourselves. This isn’t a Darwinian proposition.