What Makes Human Beings Conscious?

There are over 29 theories on the subject. Scientists want to narrow it down to one

- CARL ZIMMER

CONSCIOUSNESS MAY BE a mystery, but that doesn't mean that neuroscientists don't have any explanations for it.

"In the field of consciousness, there are already so many theories that we don't need more theories," said Oscar Ferrante, a neuroscientist at the University of Birmingham.

If you're looking for a theory to explain how our brains give rise to subjective, inner experiences, you can check out adaptive resonance theory, dynamic core theory, first-order representational theory, not to mention semantic pointer competition theory. The list goes on: A 2021 survey identified 29 theories of consciousness.

Ferrante belongs to a group of scientists who want to lower that number, perhaps even down to just one. "We are not incentivized to kill our own ideas," said Lucia Melloni, a neuroscientist at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Germany.

Seven years ago, Melloni and 41 other scientists embarked on a major study on consciousness that she hoped would break this pattern. The team, called the Cogitate Consortium, published its results on Wednesday in the journal