Does Consciousness Pervade the Universe?

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January 14, 2020

Dear Reader, Have you ever wondered where consciousness comes from? You're not alone. Answering this question is one of the biggest challenges in science. In our main story, philosopher Philip Goff argues a provocative viewpoint: consciousness is not unique to humans, it permeates the universe and is the foundation of it. Next up, scientists at Stanford University say aging is personal on a molecular level. In a study published yesterday, they concluded that, similarly to having a unique genotype, people have an individual "ageotype." Lastly, technology will make elections more secure--but not by the 2020 U.S. presidential election, writes our columnist Wade Roush.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Cognition Does Consciousness Pervade the Universe? Philosopher Philip Goff answers questions about "panpsychism" By Gareth Cook

The Body People's Body Systems Age at Different Rates Individuals have an "ageotype" that's specific to one organ system, which could be targeted in order to extend healthy life By Sharon Begley,STAT

Space Astronomers Just Found (Another) Potentially Habitable Exoplanet. What Happens Next? NASA's TESS spacecraft identified the unusual world around a red dwarf By Meghan Bartels,SPACE.com

Physics New Instrument Will Stretch Atoms into Giant Waves Room-sized "atom waves" could help probe the quantum realm By Charlie Wood

EARTH Wildfires Could Transform Amazon from Carbon Sink to Source Rising temperatures and increased deforestation increase the risks for CO2-emitting fires By Chelsea Harvey,ClimateWire

Policy & Ethics Truly Secure Voting Is on the Way Unfortunately, it won't be here by 2020 By Wade Roush

FROM THE STORE Your Brain in the Smartphone Age According to recent headlines, today's device-wielding teens are socially, emotionally and cognitively doomed. Reality, however, is not so clear cut. In this eBook, we've gathered what science has to say about the effects of smartphones and social media use on teenagers, as well as its effects on thought processes and relationships and its potential as a tool to monitor mental health.

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FROM THE ARCHIVE Will Science Ever Solve the Mysteries of Consciousness, Free Will and God? Are consciousness, free will and God insoluble mysteries? By Michael Shermer | July 2018

QUOTE OF THE DAY "There is a deep mystery in understanding how what we know about ourselves from the inside fits together with what science tells us about matter from the outside." Philip Goff, Philosopher of Consciousness at Durham University

WHAT WE'RE READING The solution to the plastic waste crisis? It isn't recycling By The Guardian Scientists Just Discovered the Oldest Material Ever Found on Earth By Popular Mechanics Your microbiome reveals more about your health than your genes do By New Scientist

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