New Special Issue: The Conscious Brain

Explore consciousness, dreams, free will, and more in the new special edition! ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

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Summer/Fall Special Issue Read the Issue Dear Friend of Scientific American, Unlike other scientific phenomena, consciousness cannot be observed directly; one can observe behavior or brain activity but not the subjective experience itself. Whether human awareness is a "stage" where inputs compete for our attention or a unified system processing information all at once is still up for debate.     As complicated as this mystery seems, human cognition operates at a relatively slow, fixed speed of roughly 10 bits per second for tasks such as remembering, making decisions and imagining. And people's brain waves predictably sync up as the individuals interact, which is perhaps an evolutionary adaptation that helps us bond.     Much goes on in the unconscious mind. It turns out dreams can be a bellwether of cognitive disorder. And famous nappers such as Thomas Edison have believed they could manipulate their sleep to spark creativity.     Reality can shift for people with illnesses that arise from complex interactions of genetics and environment, such as schizophrenia. A rare neurological condition called Alice in Wonderland syndrome appears to warp a person's perception of bodies and time, especially in children. And sometimes a rift develops between the world and a mind, a stark reminder that awareness is malleable.   Read the entire special issue with 50% off an Unlimited subscription. Offer ends 9/5, so don't wait!​ Best wishes, Andrea Gawrylewski Special Issues Editor

Issue Highlights Where Does Consciousness Come From? Two Neuroscience Theories Go Head-to-Head Two leading theories of consciousness went head-to-head—and the results may change how... Read More The Unbelievable Slowness of Thinking The brain is sometimes called the most complex machine in the known universe. But the thoughts that it outputs... Read More New Treatments Are Rewriting Our Understanding of Schizophrenia As a complex picture of schizophrenia emerges, so do new ways to treat the disorder... Read More Read The Issue Save 50% on Unlimited!

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