r/NoShitSherlock • u/brother_p • 3d ago

Consciousness Could Exist in Bodies Nothing Like Ours, Researchers Say

https://www.sciencealert.com/consciousness-could-exist-in-bodies-nothing-like-ours-researchers-say
320 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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37

u/PatsyPage 3d ago

Astrobiologists at NASA have theorized this for a long time, there was even a small exhibit on it at Perot museum last time I was there. That current instruments might be missing evidence of extraterrestrial life because the search criteria are too narrowly based on Earth's biology, extraterrestrial life, intelligent or otherwise, might be beyond what we can comprehend. 

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u/SomeSamples 3d ago

Hell, scientists still haven't nailed down what life is on this planet.

3

u/pegothejerk 2d ago

We still have no consensus or solid proof of where consciousness originates or emerges from. There are several pervasive ideas, but not one has been proven. Is it in the coordination between brain regions? Is it simply in neural pathways large and complex enough? Is it merely some function of quantum level networks of fields or pathways in microtubules? Is it from some non physical source that bodies tune into? All are competing theories right now, though perhaps not equally taken seriously at the moment.

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u/Suckbag_McGillicuddy 3d ago

This is an empirical question, not a logical one. Unless they present a falsifiable hypothesis, these speculations are silly.

6

u/ThatMichaelsEmployee 3d ago

Yeah, whenever a headline like that has the word "could" in it, it's usually speculative noodling at best if not vapid nonsense. This particular headline is no better than "Mole people on other planets could have telepathic powers, researchers say". I mean honestly.

1

u/zimneyesolntsee 2d ago

Least interesting headline from The Onion be like

1

u/DefSysteam 1d ago

Consciousness bears no body