Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences
November 13, 2025
Gianmarco Maldarelli, Onur Güntürkün
In this article, we start from the assumption that consciousness is not the ultimate triumph of human evolution but rather represents a more basic cognitive process, possibly shared with other animal phyla. In this article, we show that there is growing evidence that (i) birds have sensory and self-awareness, and (ii) they also have the neural architecture that may be necessary for this. We...
Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences
November 13, 2025
Yuranny Cabral-Calderin, Julio C. Hechavarria, Lucia Melloni
2 citations
Understanding consciousness remains a significant challenge in science. What distinguishes conscious beings from unconscious systems, such as organoids, artificial intelligence or other non-sentient entities? Research on consciousness often focuses on identifying brain activity associated with conscious and non-conscious states, primarily in neurotypical human adults. However, this approach is...
Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences
November 13, 2025
W. Tecumseh Fitch, Colin Allen, Adina L. Roskies
4 citations
did consciousness evolve? Assuming that some species (e.g. humans) have consciousness and others (e.g. redwoods or mushrooms) do not, what problem(s) did consciousness evolve to solve? From a biological and evolutionary viewpoint, and regardless of which species have consciousness (or to what degree), this question of the adaptive function(s) of consciousness is central. Nonetheless, the...
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology
November 13, 2025
Winson F.z. Yang, Ruby M. Potash, Grace Mackin et al.
preprint
Humans can experience a rich array of conscious experience, including highly stable, positive, and refined states of non-ordinary perception that can be elicited through advanced meditation. Here, we present the first group-level, ultra-high-field (7T) fMRI study of jhana advanced concentration absorption meditation (ACAM-J). We combined local (regional homogeneity), mesoscale (connectivity...
Timing & Time Perception
November 12, 2025
Michele Pellegrino, Ludovica Ortame, Joseph Glicksohn et al.
Given the growing societal interest in how our environment influences time perception, in a world that is more volatile and going at a faster pace than ever, there is an increased need for the understanding of how attentional states and awareness impact time perception. In the current study we aimed at assessing the role of both internally and externally directed attention on temporal...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
November 12, 2025
Guy Simon, Maya Gal-Birman, Nir Tadmor et al.
5 citations
Objective: On 7 October 2023, a mass-casualty attack at the Nova festival in Israel created an unprecedented convergence of collective trauma and altered states of consciousness. Many survivors were under the influence of psychedelics or other psychoactive substances at the time of the attack. This study explored how survivors made sense of and navigated recovery, with a focus on relational,...
Research Square
November 11, 2025
Hatice Pars, Merve Akay
preprint
Abstract Background: Nursing students are particularly vulnerable to psychological distress due to the combined demands of academic performance and clinical training. The COVID-19 pandemic has further intensified these stressors. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have shown promising results in reducing anxiety, stress, and emotional dysregulation in student populations. However, there is...
Philosophical Psychology
November 11, 2025
Leonard Dung, François Kammerer
14 citations
Illusionism states that phenomenal consciousness does not exist, even though it seems to exist. While illusionism is controversial, it is a serious contender among theories of consciousness. We argue that it has substantial and non-trivial implications for non-human consciousness research (NHCR), particularly for the study of the distribution of phenomenal consciousness across beings. If...
Anugerah Jurnal Pendidikan Kristiani dan Kateketik Katolik
November 11, 2025
Jonathan Octavianus, Hasanema Wau, Donalia Reynaldo
The phenomena of stigmata and divine apparitions represent profound religious experiences that demonstrate the dynamic relationship between faith, body, and consciousness. Through a phenomenological-theological approach and literature review, this study examines how these extraordinary events reflect the spiritual and psychological dimensions of faith. The results demonstrate that stigmata and...
PsyArXiv
November 11, 2025
Ylenia D'elia, Óscar Lecuona, Rocío Herrero et al.
preprint
Measuring subjective experience during meditation remains methodologically challenging due to reliance on verbal self-reports for embodied phenomena. To address this, we developed the Meditation Pictographic Scale (MPS) using a first-person phenomenological approach. We developed and validated the MPS across four phases: (1) qualitative interviews to refine pictographic items; (2)...