Consciousness
Recent articles
Babies, bees and bots: On the hunt for markers of consciousness
To truly understand consciousness, we need new methods to measure it and detect it in other intelligent systems.

Babies, bees and bots: On the hunt for markers of consciousness
To truly understand consciousness, we need new methods to measure it and detect it in other intelligent systems.
Attention not necessary for visual awareness, large study suggests
People can perceive some visual information even if they do not pay direct attention to it.

Attention not necessary for visual awareness, large study suggests
People can perceive some visual information even if they do not pay direct attention to it.
Premature declarations on animal consciousness hinder progress
Overstating the evidence in support of animal consciousness could impede efforts to develop more accurate ways of assessing it.

Premature declarations on animal consciousness hinder progress
Overstating the evidence in support of animal consciousness could impede efforts to develop more accurate ways of assessing it.
From reductionism to dynamical systems: How two books influenced my thinking across 30 years of neuroscience
Nicole Rust describes her career-changing literary journey of joy, free will and the evolution of a field.

From reductionism to dynamical systems: How two books influenced my thinking across 30 years of neuroscience
Nicole Rust describes her career-changing literary journey of joy, free will and the evolution of a field.
How did consciousness evolve? An excerpt from ‘A History of Bodies, Brains, and Minds: The Evolution of Life and Consciousness’
In his new book, to be published in September, neuroscientist Francisco Aboitiz links consciousness back to the earliest days of biological life.

How did consciousness evolve? An excerpt from ‘A History of Bodies, Brains, and Minds: The Evolution of Life and Consciousness’
In his new book, to be published in September, neuroscientist Francisco Aboitiz links consciousness back to the earliest days of biological life.
Six new neuroscience books for fall—plus five titles you may have missed
We highlight the most anticipated neuroscience books for the remainder of 2024 and recap notable releases since last December.

Six new neuroscience books for fall—plus five titles you may have missed
We highlight the most anticipated neuroscience books for the remainder of 2024 and recap notable releases since last December.
At the end of the earth with Paul-Antoine Libourel
The French researcher’s accomplishments working with chinstrap penguins in the Antarctic highlight the importance of recording sleep in the wild.

At the end of the earth with Paul-Antoine Libourel
The French researcher’s accomplishments working with chinstrap penguins in the Antarctic highlight the importance of recording sleep in the wild.
Going deep: The Transmitter’s top long-form stories in 2023
Our favorite features and book excerpts from the past year delved into the neurobiology of cancer; problems with survey data; free will; mathematical minds; and questions around one startup’s quest to treat brain conditions with cell therapies.

Going deep: The Transmitter’s top long-form stories in 2023
Our favorite features and book excerpts from the past year delved into the neurobiology of cancer; problems with survey data; free will; mathematical minds; and questions around one startup’s quest to treat brain conditions with cell therapies.
Player One: An edited excerpt from ‘Free Agents — How Evolution Gave Us Free Will’
In his new book, neuroscientist Kevin Mitchell argues that, despite his field’s mechanistic models of cognition, we are all “Player One” in the game of life, the authors of our own actions.

Player One: An edited excerpt from ‘Free Agents — How Evolution Gave Us Free Will’
In his new book, neuroscientist Kevin Mitchell argues that, despite his field’s mechanistic models of cognition, we are all “Player One” in the game of life, the authors of our own actions.
Explore more from The Transmitter
Oxytocin prompts prairie voles to oust outsiders, fortifying their friendships
The “love hormone” drives the neurobiology behind platonic bonds in animals usually studied for their romantic attachments.

Oxytocin prompts prairie voles to oust outsiders, fortifying their friendships
The “love hormone” drives the neurobiology behind platonic bonds in animals usually studied for their romantic attachments.
Contested paper on vaccines, autism in rats retracted by journal
The editor-in-chief cited “inconsistencies in the number of subjects” as the reason for the retraction.

Contested paper on vaccines, autism in rats retracted by journal
The editor-in-chief cited “inconsistencies in the number of subjects” as the reason for the retraction.
Body state, sensory signals commingle in mouse whisker cortex
The new study challenges a long-held view that the barrel cortex exclusively encodes sensory signals from the whiskers.
Body state, sensory signals commingle in mouse whisker cortex
The new study challenges a long-held view that the barrel cortex exclusively encodes sensory signals from the whiskers.