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Science is a Pandora's box – but we should open it anyway

We are often warned of the consequences of knowing too much, but even when scientific ideas have the potential to be harmful we should still seek to understand them

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A light micrograph of a section of a whole mouse brain, with nerve cells colourfully labelled

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Electrical synapses genetically engineered in mammals for first time

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Largest mammalian brain map ever could unpick what makes us human

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What the new science of magic reveals about perception and free will

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What the new science of magic reveals about perception and free will

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LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 03: Leo, aged 9 months, takes part in an experiment at the 'Birkbeck Babylab' Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, on March 3, 2014 in London, England. The experiment uses an electroencephalogram (EEG) to study brain activity whilst the baby examines different objects of varying complexity. Researchers at the Babylab, which is part of Birkbeck, University of London, study brain and cognitive development in infants from birth through childhood. The scientists use various experiments, often based on simple games, and test the babies' physical or cognitive responses with sensors including: eye-tracking, brain activation and motion capture. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

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How studying babies' minds is prompting us to rethink consciousness

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Can we use quantum computers to test a radical consciousness theory?

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Can we use quantum computers to test a radical consciousness theory?

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The radical treatments bringing people back from the brink of death

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The radical treatments bringing people back from the brink of death

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How psychedelics and VR could reveal how we become immersed in reality

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How psychedelics and VR could reveal how we become immersed in reality

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Are animals conscious? We’re finally realising that many species are

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The universe is built a lot like a giant brain – so is it conscious?

Research has found the universe is remarkably similar in structure to the human brain. But does this mean the cosmos has a consciousness of its own?

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5 extraordinary ideas about the mind and what it means to be conscious

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A radical new book sets out to hunt for 'pure consciousness'

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Some scientists say insects are conscious – it doesn't settle anything

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How to wrap your head around the most mind-bending theories of reality

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