Thousands of species of animals probably have consciousness
A group of scientists are trying to track down how it works in the brain
The Amygdaloids sound like one of the aliens-of-the-week from “Star Trek”. In fact, they are a rock band from New York University (NYU), whose singer, lead guitarist and moving spirit is Joseph LeDoux. Dr LeDoux is one of the world’s top authorities on the amygdalas, a pair of almond-shaped structures in the brain that are responsible, among other things, for generating fear in response to threats. But he is also president of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness (ASSC), which held its 26th meeting at NYU between June 22nd and 25th.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Conscious thinking”
From the July 1st 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Science & technology
Why a new art gallery in Bangalore is important for Indian science
It aims to make research and tinkering more accessible to the public
Climate change could reawaken harmful invasive plants
The sooner they can be weeded out, the better
AI scientists are producing new theories of how the brain learns
The challenge for neuroscientists is how to test them
Exposure to the sun’s UV radiation may be good for you
For now, though, keep the sun cream handy
Engineered dust could help make Mars habitable
Restoring water on Mars may be easier than you think
New batteries are stretchable enough to wear against the skin
They take their inspiration from electric eels