Consciousness Uncovered

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Tomas Chapa

How Breathing Affects Our Consciousness, Mind, and Body

How Breathing Affects Our Consciousness, Mind, and Body

In 2017, researchers at Stanford University revealed how our breathing patterns influence brain regions involved in attention, memory, and emotion. This groundbreaking study uncovered intricate cellular and molecular connections, highlighting the profound impact of breathing on our mental states. One of the findings was that breathing through the nose, as

Created using DALL-E by OpenAI, generated via ChatGPT

The Color of Sound: Exploring Synesthesia

Synesthesia is a condition where one sense automatically triggers another. People with synesthesia might see colors when they hear music, taste flavors when they read certain words, or associate colors with specific numbers or letters. These sensory experiences are involuntary and consistent, meaning the same sound or word always produces

The Mirror Neuron Mirage

The Mirror Neuron Mirage

The big picture: In the 1990s, researchers in Italy stumbled upon what they thought was a groundbreaking discovery while observing macaque monkeys during an experiment. They found that specific neurons, dubbed "mirror neurons," fired when the monkeys performed an action and when they watched humans perform the same

Am I My Brain?

Am I My Brain?

Introduction: The honest answer is I don't know, and nobody else does either. We have learned a lot about the brain in the last half-century, but nobody can explain how first-person subjective experience, or what we commonly call consciousness, is generated in the brain. We also do not

The Light Eaters

The Light Eaters

Today, Zoë Schlanger officially launches her new book, 'The Light Eaters — How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth,' with the promotion tagline: 'You may never look at plants in quite the same way again.' In "The Light

The Trifold Mysteries of Existence: The Universe, Life, and Consciousness

The Trifold Mysteries of Existence: The Universe, Life, and Consciousness

When we ponder our existence—whether as individuals, artists, philosophers, or scientists—all questions ultimately boil down to three foundational mysteries: the origins of the universe, life, and consciousness. Consider the pivotal role of consciousness: The very observer who is comprehending everything is not just a passive participant, but an

In Memoriam: Daniel Dennett (1942-2024)

In Memoriam: Daniel Dennett (1942-2024)

Who: Daniel Dennett was an important philosopher in the consciousness renaissance starting in the early 1990s, when studying consciousness was largely dismissed by academia. Although his body of work is much broader, I will touch mostly on his contributions to consciousness studies. Why it matters: Dennett argued that consciousness is