For all the progress science has made in studying consciousness over the past 20 years, one mystery still stands at the center: what is its purpose, and why did it evolve at all? The answers could explain why humans and other animals developed awareness while species like oak trees did not. Research on bird brains even shows that evolution can carve different biological paths to achieve similar conscious functions.
At Ruhr University Bochum, scientists are asking what evolutionary advantage consciousness provides, and what lessons birds might hold for understanding our own minds. Their quest to understand why consciousness evolved and what birds can teach us about it opens a fascinating window into the mind. Click through the gallery to explore the study.