As artificial intelligence systems become increasingly sophisticated, questions once confined to philosophy are rapidly entering mainstream scientific and public debate: Can AI possess consciousness? Could animals, organoids, or even fetuses have subjective experiences?

A research team led by Director Hakwan LAU of the Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), together with collaborators from the Université de Montréal and New York University, has published a new analysis arguing that current scientific methods may not yet be capable of reliably answering such questions. The paper critically examines how consciousness is currently studied in neuroscience and argues that many widely used experimental approaches fail to clearly distinguish subjective experience from general information processing.

Average support for gender equality worldwide has plateaued, in part because of higher population growth in countries where support is low and higher fertility among those with less egalitarian views. 

Student teams from Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California, and Sierra Vista Middle School in Irvine, California, took top honors at the 42nd Annual Science Olympiad National Tournament at the University of Southern California on Saturday, May 23, 2026. This is the second time that Monta Vista High School has captured the title and adds a back-to-back championship for Sierra Vista Middle School.