Ever since we published our very first issue 123 years ago—yes, we’re old—Popular Mechanics has endeavored to help you understand all kinds of technological marvels, from the tools in your shed, to ...

One scientist’s unorthodox method could finally explain where your “soul” goes when you die, precognition, and everything in ...

In a controversial 2025 paper, a researcher proposed a theory that consciousness may give rise to matter—not the other way ...

In recent days, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins wrote an op-ed suggesting AI chatbot Claude may be conscious.

For decades, debates about consciousness have been driven by elegant theories and small, carefully controlled experiments. Now a large-scale analysis of existing research is forcing a harder question: ...

Welcome to Science and Philosophy, where I write about my research as a philosopher, author, and assistant professor for a non-specialist audience. I explore how we can best understand and appreciate ...

The evolutionary puzzle of consciousness When I look at the current science, the central question is no longer whether consciousness has an evolutionary role, but what that role actually is. One ...

A dancing humanoid robot gyrates to music at a fair in Beijing. - © AFP Pedro PARDO/File A dancing humanoid robot gyrates to music at a fair in Beijing. - © AFP ...

We can account for the evolution of consciousness only if we crack the philosophy, as well as the physics, of the brain. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The church publishes the ...