The puzzle of Consciousness

What makes consciousness such a vexing problem for scientists and philosophers? While just about everyone agrees that the hard problem seems hard, many researchers — especially within the physicalist camp …

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory

An ambitious new telescope — equipped with the world’s largest digital camera — will scan the skies from a mountaintop in Chile, providing new insights into supernovae, asteroids, and more. …

A tribute to Daniel Dennett

Influential philosopher Daniel C. Dennett died earlier this year. Reading his works, one gets the impression of a mind jammed to the rafters with ideas. As Richard Dawkins put it …

Prehistoric Scotland

Although Stonehenge is more famous, numerous stone circles and other Neolithic monuments abound in the north of Scotland. Perhaps the clearest glimpse into the lives of these Neolithic stonemasons can …

Energy from the ocean

Tidal and wave energy may be the largest untapped resources of renewable energy on the planet. But will they work? There is no question that the planet’s oceans contain enormous …

A bumble bee on top of a pink flower.

A new declaration spotlights animal consciousness

A new declaration, signed by dozens of biologists, neuroscientists, and philosophers, points to a “realistic possibility” of consciousness in reptiles, amphibians, fishes, certain mollusks, crustaceans, and insects. The New York Declaration …