The Giants Shoulder

Thomas Metzinger is a professor of theoretical philosophy, consciousness researcher, and author of The Ego Tunnel, Being No One and The Elephant and the Blind — some of the most radical books on the nature of the self and reality ever written.Download a FREE copy of The Elephant And The Blind HERE: https://thomasmetzinger.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Metzinger_MIT_Press_2024-1.pdfHe’s spent decades exploring the hardest questions in neuroscience and philosophy: What is consciousness? Is the self an illusion? Could AI ever suffer? And what happens when our models of reality — including ourselves — break down?Expect to learn why your “self” is just a transparent model your brain mistakes for reality, how out-of-body experiences (and virtual reality) reveal the fragility of personal identity, why conscious AI might be the greatest ethical threat of the next century, how meditation and psychedelics dissolve the illusion of “I”, why freedom of mind is under attack from attention-hacking technology, what it means to have a contentless conscious experience, why Metzinger believes we should ban synthetic consciousness — and what happens when you try to visit your girlfriend 85 kilometers away… without your body.Timestamps:00:02:50 Transformative Experiences and Their Impact00:05:38 Exploring Out-of-Body Experiences00:08:57 The Nature of the Self00:11:43 Phenomenology of Consciousness00:14:38 The Role of Mental Imagery00:17:35 Ketamine and Consciousness00:20:30 Therapeutic Aspects of Out-of-Body Experiences00:23:24 Understanding the Self and Consciousness00:26:38 The Complexity of Selfhood00:29:27 Phenomenal Representations and Their Transparency00:32:21 Cognitive Agency and Mathematical Operations00:45:46 Mathematics and Psychoactive Substances00:49:15 Exploring Inner Experience and Phenomenology00:52:05 Suffering and Experience Sampling00:58:25 The Eternal Playlist Thought Experiment01:03:21 Reflections on Past Generations and Happiness01:10:32 The Impact of Social Media on Connection01:17:56 AI Companionship and Future Relationships01:18:48 Cognitive Offloading and AI's Impact on Development01:20:10 Teaching AI Philosophy: A Historical Perspective01:21:34 The Influence of Industry on AI Regulation01:22:57 The Attention Economy and Emerging Intimacy01:23:28 Philosophical Discoveries Through AI Interactions01:25:18 Social Hallucinations and AI's Role in Perception01:28:55 Virtual Reality and the Blurring of Reality01:31:08 The Future of Social Media and AI Avatars01:33:34 Global Regulation Challenges in AI Development01:35:55 The Risks of AI and Human Manipulation01:39:15 The Uncertain Future of Humanity and AI01:41:15 Finding Meaning in a Declining World...📚 RECOMMENDED READINGThe Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self: https://amzn.to/3UEcS0ABeing No One: The Self-Model Theory of Subjectivity: https://amzn.to/41i7X9k…Neuroscience Products I Swear By (Supports the Channel)Sentia Spirits: https://sentiaspirits.com/mcgloughlin4209355084Manta Sleep Mask: Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet (Use Code GIANTSMANTA10 https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL )Brain.FM: Music Entrainment for Focused Deep Work (30 Day Free Trial: https://www.brain.fm/giantsshoulder)Consensus.AI: https://get.consensus.app/we00d2cmjpqeFollow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

Steven Kotler is a peak performance expert, flow state researcher, and New York Times bestselling author of The Rise of Superman, Stealing Fire, and The Art of Impossible — books that have transformed how we understand human potential.Flow isn’t just a feeling — it’s a measurable, trainable state of consciousness that radically enhances performance, learning, and even our sense of self. In fact, it may be one of the most addictive — and transformative — states the brain can enter.Expect to learn what flow actually is at a neurobiological level, how it boosts learning by up to 500%, why the U.S. Department of Defense is studying it, how it warps our perception of time and self, why flow could help unlock the mystery of consciousness itself, how to use clear goals and challenge-skills balance to trigger flow, why this state is addictive in all the right ways, how Kotler writes books in flow, why the future may be built on cooperative group flow, how to measure and train flow in your own life — and much more…Timestamps:03:10 Defining Flow: A Complex Concept06:05 The Characteristics of Flow09:10 Flow and Its Addictive Nature11:58 Neurodynamics of Flow and Consciousness15:10 Complexity Science and Flow17:46 The Free Energy Principle and Flow21:06 Flow vs. Trauma: Decision Making in Critical Moments27:28 The Dynamics of Flow in Action Sports30:15 Understanding Flow as a Spectrum34:30 Neurobiology of Flow States40:34 Operationalizing Flow in Research50:03 Flow Triggers and Their Impact57:41 The Flow State Experience58:35 Creativity and Productivity in Flow01:00:24 The Energy Dynamics of Flow01:02:41 The Flow Cycle and Recovery01:04:39 Optimizing Flow for Cognitive Work01:05:56 Physical Activity and Flow01:08:48 Evolutionary Perspectives on Flow01:11:27 Flow and Pain: The Endorphin Connection01:15:13 Future Research Directions in Flow01:22:41 Technology, Flow, and Group Cooperation...📚 RECOMMENDED READINGThe Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer: https://amzn.to/4g2wXYtThe Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance: https://amzn.to/418UrVtStealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work: https://amzn.to/47Cf00q…Neuroscience Products I Swear By (Supports the Channel)Sentia Spirits: https://sentiaspirits.com/mcgloughlin4209355084Manta Sleep Mask: Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet (Use Code GIANTSMANTA10 https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL )Brain.FM: Music Entrainment for Focused Deep Work (30 Day Free Trial: https://www.brain.fm/giantsshoulder)Consensus.AI: https://get.consensus.app/we00d2cmjpqeFollow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

Dr. Merlin Monzel is a neuroscientist and one of the world’s foremost researchers on aphantasia — the condition where individuals live without the ability to visualize mental images.For decades, millions of people didn’t know they were missing anything — until science caught up. Dr. Monzel’s groundbreaking work is revealing what happens when the mind’s eye goes dark, and how it changes memory, emotion, identity, imagination, trauma, and even consciousness itself.Expect to learn what mental imagery is really for, why people with aphantasia can still dream vividly, how missing imagery affects autobiographical memory and emotional recall, why traditional therapy might fail aphantasic patients, how aphantasia might protect against PTSD, how memory becomes a script instead of a scene, what brain scans reveal about connectivity between the hippocampus and visual cortex, whether imagination can be trained or restored, and why studying aphantasia may offer deep insights into the nature of consciousness — and what makes us feel like a self at all.Timestamps:00:00 Intro03:45 The Function of Mental Imagery 06:29 Discovering Aphantasia 08:53 Awareness and Miscommunication 14:32 The Role of Education in Aphantasia 17:15 Dreaming and Aphantasia 22:08 Memory and Aphantasia 29:15 Emotional Content in Memories 34:00 Extreme Sports and Aphantasia 36:10 Neuroanatomy of Aphantasia 43:26 Spatial Memory vs. Object Memory 45:39 Exploring Non-Visual Solutions for Aphantasia 47:14 Developmental Aspects of Aphantasia 49:53 Emotional Processing in Aphantasia 52:08 Aphantasia and Mental Health 54:47 Involuntary Mental Imagery and Focus 59:18 Understanding Hyperphantasia 63:00 Objective Measures of Mental Imagery 01:09:06 Unanswered Questions in Aphantasia Research 01:16:06 Future Research Directions and Ethical Considerations...Neuroscience Products I Swear By (Supports the Channel)Sentia Spirits: https://sentiaspirits.com/mcgloughlin4209355084Manta Sleep Mask: Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet (Use Code GIANTSMANTA10 https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL )Brain.FM: Music Entrainment for Focused Deep Work (30 Day Free Trial: https://www.brain.fm/giantsshoulder)Consensus.AI: https://get.consensus.app/we00d2cmjpqeFollow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

Dr. Nicole Rust, an emotion neuroscientist and author of 'Elusive Cures', discusses the complexities of brain disorders and the need to rethink mental health models. She critiques traditional approaches, advocating for a view of the brain as a complex, self-looping system. The conversation delves into the promising role of psychedelics paired with therapy, advances in neurotechnology, and how feedback loops complicate treatment. Rust also emphasizes the value of negative emotions and explores the intersection of AI and neuroscience in understanding happiness.

Check out Sentia Spirits the future of drinking (Use Code GIANT10 for 10% discount off your first purchase: https://sentiaspirits.com/mcgloughlin4209355084Professor David Nutt is a neuro­psychopharmacologist, former UK chief drug adviser, and author of Drugs Without the Hot Air, Drink?, Cannabis, and Psychedelics. He built the first evidence-based Drug Harm Scale, ran the world’s first LSD brain-scan, and is now engineering hangover-free “alcohol” with GABA science.Drug policy often punishes the wrong substances. In this rapid-fire tier-list episode, Nutt ranks ten headline drugs—LSD to fentanyl—by real-world harm, exposing how politics, potency and route of use twist our perceptions and our laws.Expect to learn why alcohol and tobacco still out-kill every illegal drug, how MDMA became both a rave staple and a prescription therapy, the science behind ketamine’s antidepressant buzz and its bladder danger, why 2 mg of fentanyl can be fatal, how smoking vs injecting changes heroin risk, what makes high-THC cannabis a new drug entirely, the true neurotoxicity story of cocaine, why psilocybin and LSD aren’t addictive, how Sentia mimics a glass of wine without the damage, and much more…Timestamps:00:00 Intro 00:55 LSD09:55 MDMA24:16 Cocaine34:21 Psilocybin37:09 Fentanyl40:57 Cannabis 43:35 Tobacco45:00 Alcohol49:49 Ketamine51:20 Heroin...Buy Nutt's Books Drink?: The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health: https://amzn.to/4dZTP9ZPsychedelics: The Revolutionary Drugs That Could Change Your Life―A Guide from the Expert: https://amzn.to/3SJXAX6Drugs without the hot air: Making sense of legal and illegal drugs: https://amzn.to/4kyu7eSCannabis (Seeing Through the Smoke): The New Science of Cannabis and Your Health: https://amzn.to/3FOiLo2Check out the amazing work of Drug Science (Dr David Nutt's Charity) Website - https://www.drugscience.org.uk/Prof Nutt Twitter (X) - @ProfDavidNuttDrug Science SocialsFacebook - @DrugScienceISCDTwitter (x) - @drug_scienceInstagram - @drugscienceinfoLinkedIn - @drugscience-ltdBlueSky - @drugscience.bsky.socialYouTube - @DrugScienceMore Resources on Drug SafetyMedical Cannabis: https://www.drugscience.org.uk/medical-cannabis-working-groupMedical Psychedelics: https://www.drugscience.org.uk/medical-psychedelics-working-groupHarm Reduction: https://www.drugscience.org.uk/enhanced-harm-reduction-working-groupAcademic Research: https://www.drugscience.org.uk/researchFollow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249Neuroscience Products I Swear By (Supports the Channel)Manta Sleep Mask: Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet (Use Code GIANTSMANTA10 https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL )[Brain.FM](http://brain.fm/): Music Entrainment for Focused Deep Work (30 Day Free Trial: https://www.brain.fm/giantsshoulder)[Consensus.AI](http://consensus.ai/): AI Powered Research (Use Code THEGIANTSSHOULDER for 1 Year Free Premium Sub)

Dr. Dean Haycock is a neuroscientist and author of Murderous Minds and Tyrannical Minds, two of the most compelling books ever written on psychopathy and the biology of evil.From serial killers to world leaders, Dean has spent his career uncovering how the brains of psychopaths differ from the rest of us — and what that means for free will, justice, and the future of society.Expect to learn what brain scans reveal about the minds of psychopaths, why fear and empathy circuits often go silent in their brains, how genetics and childhood environments combine to create violent personalities, why some psychopaths end up in prison while others rise to power, what separates a manipulative CEO from a serial killer, whether science can predict who will kill again, the moral dilemmas of using neuroscience in the courtroom, whether psychopaths truly have free will, and much more…Timestamps: 00:00 Intro03:30 Understanding Psychopathy: Definitions and Controversies06:30 Cultural Perspectives on Psychopathy09:16 Psychopathy in Business and Leadership12:21 The Nature of Psychopathy: Traits and Misconceptions15:25 Psychopathy and Violence: Myths vs. Reality18:22 Self-Awareness and Psychopathy20:55 Gender Differences in Psychopathy24:15 Neuroscience of Psychopathy: Brain Function and Emotion39:24 Understanding Psychopathy and Its Biological Basis42:46 The Role of Genetics and Environment in Psychopathy45:35 Brain Imaging and Predicting Psychopathic Traits48:44 Neuroethics and the Future of Brain Scanning51:15 Dopamine, Serotonin, and Psychopathic Behaviour54:34 Gene-Environment Interactions in Behaviour56:56 The Complexity of Genes and Behaviour01:00:33 The Influence of Genetics on Political Ideology01:03:54 Consciousness and Its Biological Underpinnings01:07:04 Psychopathy and Romantic Relationships01:10:31 Dissociative Identity Disorder and Psychopathy01:12:15 Exploring Dissociative Identity Disorder01:13:52 Legal Implications of Psychological Disorders01:16:13 Understanding Psychopathy and Responsibility01:17:33 Ethical Culpability and Biological Predispositions01:20:10 Sentencing and Biological Considerations01:23:32 Case Study: The Teacher with a Tumor01:28:18 The Complexity of Free Will01:30:20 Learning from Criminal Behavior01:34:20 The Importance of Understanding History01:36:07 Future Research Directions in Psychopathology📚 RECOMMENDED READINGMurderous Minds: https://amzn.to/4mnWgG5Tyrannical Minds: Psychological Profiling, Narcissism, and Dictatorship: https://amzn.to/4ogPBPI…Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249Neuroscience Products I Swear By (Supports the Channel)Manta Sleep Mask: Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet (Use Code GIANTSMANTA10 https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL )[Brain.FM](http://brain.fm/): Music Entrainment for Focused Deep Work (30 Day Free Trial: https://www.brain.fm/giantsshoulder)[Consensus.AI](http://consensus.ai/): AI Powered Research (Use Code THEGIANTSSHOULDER for 1 Year Free Premium Sub)

Dr. Joanna Moncrieff is a psychiatrist, researcher, and author of The Myth of the Chemical Cure and Chemically Imbalanced, whose work has radically challenged one of the most powerful ideas in modern psychiatry — that depression is caused by a serotonin imbalance. Her landmark 2022 review in Molecular Psychiatry dismantled the serotonin hypothesis, exposing how Big Pharma turned a shaky theory into a multi‑billion‑dollar industry.Read the review: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0Expect to learn why the serotonin “chemical imbalance” story became the biggest myth in mental health, how SSRIs actually work — and why their benefits may be no greater than placebo, the shocking prevalence of emotional blunting and sexual dysfunction, why nearly 1 in 4 women in the UK are now on antidepressants, how Big Pharma engineered one of the most influential disinformation campaigns in medicine, what depression really is if not a brain disorder, why environmental factors far outweigh genes, the overlooked power of placebo, and why Joanna believes SSRIs may be doing more harm than good.Timestamps:00:03:10 The Serotonin Hypothesis of Depression00:06:13 Challenging Conventional Psychiatric Narratives00:09:08 The Role of Big Pharma in Mental Health00:12:02 Public Reaction to New Findings00:15:14 The Impact of Misinformation on Patients00:18:10 Understanding SSRIs and Their Effects00:21:07 The Pharmaceutical Industry's Influence00:23:40 The Relationship Between Healthcare and Pharma00:26:28 Current State of Antidepressant Research00:29:26 Efficacy and Side Effects of SSRIs00:32:19 Emotional Blunting and Sexual Dysfunction00:35:45 Long-term Effects of Antidepressants00:43:57 Concerns Over Antidepressants and Sexual Dysfunction00:49:01 Understanding Depression: A Complex Emotional Reaction0:54:33 The Role of Serotonin in Mood Disorders01:00:11 Genetic Influences on Depression01:13:25 Rethinking Treatment Approaches for Depression01:19:27 Psychedelics: Potential and Pitfalls in Mental Health Treatment..._Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder_ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249_Neuroscience Products I Swear By (Supports the Channel)_Manta Sleep Mask: Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet (Use Code GIANTSMANTA10 https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL )[Brain.FM](http://brain.fm/): Music Entrainment for Focused Deep Work (30 Day Free Trial: https://www.brain.fm/giantsshoulder)[Consensus.AI](http://consensus.ai/): AI Powered Research (Use Code THEGIANTSSHOULDER for 1 Year Free Premium Sub)

Johnjoe McFadden is a molecular geneticist, consciousness theorist, and best-selling co-author of Life on the Edge — the book that brought quantum mechanics into biology and shattered how we think about life itself.He pioneered the first fully electronic rapid diagnostic test for deadly diseases like meningitis and COVID, and his groundbreaking work helped create the field of quantum biology — showing how enzymes, photosynthesis, even bird migration rely on quantum weirdness to function.His bold CEMI Field Theory claims that your consciousness isn’t locked in your neuron's at all — it’s broadcast through your brain’s electromagnetic field. If true, it could finally solve the binding problem and change everything we know about the mind.Expect to learn why life depends on quantum particles dancing through your cells, how robins literally see the Earth’s magnetic field, why DNA mutations may be driven by quantum tunnelling, why quantum biology might hold the key to free will, and how the brain’s invisible field could be the seat of your conscious experience — plus what that means for AI, evolution, and the very nature of reality...Timestamps:00:00 Intro02:50 Introduction to Quantum Biology04:49 Bird Navigation and Quantum Mechanics16:47 The Spark of Interest in Quantum Biology24:38 Quantum Mechanics in Biological Processes26:48 Challenges of Quantum Mechanics in Biology32:34 Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics50:00 The Nature of Light and Time50:30 Photon Journey: From Sun to Retina51:27 Consciousness and Electromagnetic Fields53:18 Unified Information in the Brain54:47 The Brain's Electromagnetic Field and Consciousness56:16 Fields vs. Matter: Understanding Consciousness57:39 Quantum Mechanics and Consciousness58:50 The Interaction of Neural Circuits and EM Fields61:06 Conscious Behaviour and EM Field Dynamics01:03:25 Neuron's as Receivers of Electromagnetic Information01:05:42 The Relationship Between Brain and EM Field01:06:40 Unconscious Information and EM Field Integration01:13:53 Non-Conscious vs. Conscious Processing01:17:25 Intuition and Unconscious Integration01:22:46 The Role of EEG in Consciousness Research01:23:36 Consciousness in Bacteria and Animals01:28:16 Panpsychism and the Nature of Consciousness01:28:23 The Future of AI and Consciousness...📚 RECOMMENDED READINGLife on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology: https://amzn.to/4lQQey0Life is Simple: How Occam's Razor Set Science Free And Unlocked the Universe: https://amzn.to/3IMuCEkQuantum Evolution: Life in the Multiverse: https://amzn.to/450UvsR…_Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder_ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249_Neuroscience Products I Swear By (Supports the Channel)_Manta Sleep Mask: Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet (Use Code GIANTSMANTA10 https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL )[Brain.FM](http://brain.fm/): Music Entrainment for Focused Deep Work (30 Day Free Trial: https://www.brain.fm/giantsshoulder)[Consensus.AI](http://consensus.ai/): AI Powered Research (Use Code THEGIANTSSHOULDER for 1 Year Free Premium Sub)

Dr. Evelina Fedorenko, a cognitive neuroscientist at MIT, is at the forefront of understanding how our brain processes language. In this conversation, she reveals that our inner monologue might be an illusion and discusses how AI models like GPT mimic human cerebral activity. The exploration covers the relationship between language and thought, the distinct regions in our brains responsible for them, and the process hyperpolyglots use to learn multiple languages. Lastly, the podcast dives into the philosophical questions around AI consciousness and its implications for neuroscience.

Nick Lane is a biochemist, Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry at University College London, and author of Transformer, The Vital Question, and Power, Sex, Suicide — books that have revolutionised how we think about the origin of life, complexity, and the deep chemistry powering consciousness.Life, Lane argues, didn’t begin in a soup but in the cracks of the seafloor — powered not by sunlight, but by geochemical gradients, ancient electricity, and the quiet inevitability of metabolism. And astonishingly, those same forces still flow through your cells — and possibly your mind.Expect to learn how life may have started in alkaline hydrothermal vents, why proton gradients might be more fundamental than DNA, how ATP synthase works like a microscopic motor powered by a field strength equal to a bolt of lightning, why mitochondria changed everything for complex life, how consciousness could emerge from electrical charge flow, whether bacterial cells might have feelings, why Lane rejects panpsychism but entertains “cellular sentience,” how the structure of life reflects planetary energy flow, and what this all means for AI, aging, and the nature of being alive.Timestamps: 00:00 A Deep Dive into the Origins of Life03:57 The Cathedral of Life: Hydrothermal Vents as the Cradle09:45 Thermodynamics, CO₂, and the Secret of Organic Chemistry13:40 From Geochemistry to Biochemistry18:32 The First Energy Systems and Proton Gradients24:00 ATP Synthase and the Universal Energy Machine28:57 Why Life Isn’t Just Chemistry—It’s System Design32:34 Life Beyond Carbon? The Case for Biochemical Inevitability39:04 Mitochondria, Endosymbiosis, and the Rise of Complexity46:02 Why Mitochondria Hold the Key to Eukaryotic Life51:28 The Real Reason Complex Life Took So Long to Emerge56:21 Scaling Energy: How Big Cells Became Possible01:02:30 Death, Aging, and the Bioelectric Clock01:08:04 Why Mitochondria Can Be a Double-Edged Sword01:14:25 Are We Overrating Neural Complexity?01:20:48 Bioelectricity and the Architecture of Development01:27:13 Could Consciousness Emerge Without a Brain?01:34:00 Mitochondria, Voltage Maps, and the Future of Bioelectric Science01:39:03 Feelings as Electric Readouts of Metabolic State01:44:12 Can Anesthetics Unlock the Mystery of Consciousness?01:50:00 A Spectrum of Consciousness—Even Bacteria Feel?01:56:15 Karl Friston, Free Energy, and the Bayesian Cell02:02:15 The Neural Correlates of Consciousness — A Failed Bet?02:07:04 Metabolism-First Consciousness: Nick’s Radical Hypothesis02:08:38 Is It ATP or Electrical Fields That Matter Most?02:13:20 Why Studying Fruit Flies Could Answer the Consciousness Question02:20:54 How Naming Genes Distorts Scientific Thinking02:23:45 Making Science Poetic — Lane’s Legacy02:24:17 Nick Lane’s Next Book: From CO₂ to Cells02:28:52 Final Reflections on the Story of Life and Consciousness...📚 RECOMMENDED READINGVital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life: https://amzn.to/4lrrBb6Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the meaning of life: https://amzn.to/4nVV6DBTransformer: The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death: https://amzn.to/3IbT69QLife Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution: https://amzn.to/4eF3v9S…_Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder_ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249_Neuroscience Products I Swear By (Supports the Channel)_Manta Sleep Mask: Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet (Use Code GIANTSMANTA10 https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL )[Brain.FM](http://brain.fm/): Music Entrainment for Focused Deep Work (30 Day Free Trial: https://www.brain.fm/giantsshoulder)[Consensus.AI](http://consensus.ai/): AI Powered Research (Use Code THEGIANTSSHOULDER for 1 Year Free Premium Sub)