New studies suggest consciousness exists in organisms without brains
New scientific studies propose that consciousness may not be limited to organisms with brains, suggesting that even brainless life forms could possess some form of conscious experience.
Background
Recent studies suggest basic consciousness may exist in brainless organisms — jellyfish, sea anemones, even single cells. This challenges the dominant view that complex brains are required for any form of awareness. The research draws on the free-energy principle, which frames life as a process of predicting sensory input, implying consciousness could be a fundamental feature of any living system that distinguishes self from world. Advocates (neuroscientist Christof Koch, philosopher Philip Goff) argue this warrants expanding our definition of sentience. The implications: if correct, it revives panpsychism (consciousness as a basic feature of reality) and raises serious ethical questions about how we treat organisms currently regarded as insentient.