Mind, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 30, 2014

Scientists Closing in on Theory of Consciousness

Probably for as long as humans have been able to grasp the concept of consciousness, they have sought to understand the phenomenon. Studying the mind was once the province of philosophers, some of whom still believe the subject is inherently unknowable. But neuroscientists are making strides in developing a true...

Jul 31, 2014

How Science Can Study the Conscious Mind

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. We have no entirely satisfactory explanation for why a relentless stream of experiences normally fills your mind. On close examination, consciousness can seem truly miraculous and hopelessly ineffable. And,...

Oct 16, 2014

New Technique Helps Find Hidden Consciousness in Coma Patients

Some patients who are in a coma may be aware of their surroundings even though they can't visibly communicate with others, and now, scientists have found a new way to help identify these patients. Consciousness is one of the most mysterious phenomena. Scientists still don't know exactly how the brain...

Jan 6, 2015

2 Years After Car Crash, Man in 'Minimally Conscious State' Suddenly Speaks

A man in Italy who was in what doctors call a minimally conscious state for nearly two years unexpectedly regained full consciousness and the ability to talk, according to a new report of his case. The man woke up after he was given a drug normally used as a sedative...

May 18, 2015

Concussions Linked to Brain Changes in Former NFL Players

Professional football players who have experienced a certain type of concussion — one that includes losing consciousness — may have an increased risk of changes in the brain and decline in their memory later in life, according to a new study. In the study, researchers looked at 28 former NFL...

Jun 29, 2015

How Does Execution Drug Midazolam Work?

States can still use the sedative drug midazolam in lethal injections, according to today's Supreme Court decision. But how exactly does the drug work, and why do some say that it's unreliable? In a 5-to-4 vote, the court ruled that using midazolam does not violate the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits...

Oct 16, 2015

The Singularity, Virtual Immortality and the Trouble with Consciousness (Op-Ed)

Robert Lawrence Kuhn is the creator, writer and host of Closer to Truth, a public television series and online resource that features the world's leading thinkers exploring humanity's deepest questions. Kuhn is co-editor with John Leslie, of The Mystery of Existence: Why Is There Anything at All? (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013). This...

Jan 27, 2016

Important First-Aid Move: What to Do If a Child Loses Consciousness

If a child passes out, parents can help them by performing a simple first-aid technique known as putting them in the recovery position, a new study suggests. Children in the study who became unconscious because they fainted or had a seizure — but were still breathing — and were placed...

Dec 7, 2016

What Is a 'Self'? Here Are All the Possibilities

Robert Lawrence Kuhn is the creator, writer and host of Closer to Truth, a public television series and online resource that features the world's leading thinkers exploring humanity's deepest questions. This essay, the final of a four-part series on the Self, is based on Closer to Truth episodes and videos,...

Dec 13, 2016

What Is Consciousness? Physicists Look for Answers

Renowned physicist Edward Witten recently suggested that consciousness might forever remain a mystery. But his words haven't discouraged other physicists from trying to unravel it. Yes, physicists. In the past, consciousness was almost entirely relegated to the musings of philosophers; it was too ethereal to be studied materially. But as...

Apr 19, 2017

How Bright Lights May Help Wake Patients from a Coma

Could shining bright lights on comatose patients to encourage their natural circadian rhythms help them awaken? A small study from Austria says yes. The body's ability to awaken from a coma after severe brain injury is tied to its maintenance of its natural circadian rhythms, according to the study, which...

Apr 25, 2017

Psychedelic Drugs Really Do Trigger a 'Higher' State of Consciousness

People who use psychedelic drugs have described the experience as feeling as though they have reached a higher state of consciousness. And now, a brain scan study backs them up. People in the study who used psychedelic drugs showed patterns of neural activity that were higher by some measures, compared...

Oct 4, 2017

Are 'Flatliners' Really Conscious After Death?

Driven by ambition and curiosity to learn what lies on the other side of death, five medical students deliberately stop their hearts in order to experience the afterlife in the new thriller Flatliners (Sony Pictures), which opened in U.S. theaters on Sept. 29. They quickly discover that there are unexpected...

Feb 2, 2018

An Ancient Virus May Be Responsible for Human Consciousness

You've got an ancient virus in your brain. In fact, you've got an ancient virus at the very root of your conscious thought. According to two papers published in the journal Cell in January, long ago, a virus bound its genetic code to the genome of four-limbed animals. That snippet...

Jul 16, 2018

You Might Be Slightly Conscious Under Anesthesia

It's the stuff of nightmares: regaining consciousness while under general anesthesia. But according to a group of doctors in Finland, it may be that we never fully lose consciousness under anesthesia. Two new studies, both published in the July issue of the British Journal of Anaesthesia, suggest that the brain...