Professor Brian Cox and an expert panel explore the elusive science of consciousness – what it is, how it arises, whether it can be observed in the brain, and the most compelling theories explaining it. 

In a deep, often mind-bending discussion, the panel tackles the many ways of interpreting consciousness itself, and how fields like psychophysics can be used to quantify imagination and perception.    

With questions from the audience, the conversation delves into hallucinations and reality, how memory helps to build identity, and whether AI could ever be conscious too. 

Panellists 
Anil Seth – Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, University of Sussex
Katharina Schmack – Consultant Psychiatrist and Group Leader, Neural Circuits and Immunity in Psychosis Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute
Steve Fleming – Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL
Alex O’Connor – Host of ‘Within Reason’ podcast 

Watch the video version of this episode and read a transcript on our website: www.crick.ac.uk/podcast/consciousness 

A BBC Studios Production for the Francis Crick Institute.   

Music by John Biddle

© BBC Studios / Francis Crick Institute 2025 

 

Professor Brian Cox and an expert panel explore the elusive science of consciousness &ndash; what it is, how it arises, whether it can be observed in the brain, and the most compelling theories explaining it.&nbsp;
In a deep, often mind-bending discussion, the panel tackles the many ways of interpreting consciousness itself, and how fields like psychophysics can be used to quantify imagination and perception.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
With questions from the audience, the conversation delves into hallucinations and reality, how memory helps to build identity, and whether AI could ever be conscious too.&nbsp;
Panellists&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Anil Seth &ndash; Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, University of Sussex</li>
<li>Katharina Schmack &ndash; Consultant Psychiatrist and Group Leader, Neural Circuits and Immunity in Psychosis Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute</li>
<li>Steve Fleming &ndash; Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL</li>
<li>Alex O&rsquo;Connor &ndash; Host of &lsquo;Within Reason&rsquo; podcast&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Watch the video version of this episode and read a transcript on our website: <a href="https://www.crick.ac.uk/podcast/consciousness">www.crick.ac.uk/podcast/consciousness</a>&nbsp;
A BBC Studios Production for the Francis Crick Institute.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Music by John Biddle
&copy; BBC Studios / Francis Crick Institute 2025&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Science you can trust. Questions that matter.  

Join Professor Brian Cox and a panel of the world’s top scientists and experts as they tackle your questions about some of the biggest science challenges facing society today. 

Can we cure cancer? How do you separate nutrition fact from fiction? What do climate change and the march of AI mean for our future? Could we live forever? Each episode is recorded in front of a live audience and it’s their questions that drive the debate. 

Hear from the experts who actually know what they’re talking about, including Adam Rutherford, Helen Sharman, George Monbiot, Giles Yeo, Jeanette Winterson, Rory Cellan-Jones, Paul Nurse, Kevin Fong and You, Me and the Big C’s Lauren Mahon.  

With a focus on accuracy, openness, and debate, A Question of Science brings you the latest on what we know, what we don’t, and where science might take us next. 

A BBC Studios production for the Francis Crick Institute, an independent charity and world-leading research lab. 

Science you can trust. Questions that matter.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Join Professor Brian Cox and a panel of the world&rsquo;s top scientists and experts as they tackle your questions about some of the biggest science challenges facing society today.&nbsp;
Can we cure cancer? How do you separate nutrition fact from fiction? What do climate change and the march of AI mean for our future? Could we live forever? Each episode is recorded in front of a live audience and it&rsquo;s their questions that drive the debate.&nbsp;
Hear from the experts who actually know what they&rsquo;re talking about, including Adam Rutherford, Helen Sharman, George Monbiot, Giles Yeo, Jeanette Winterson, Rory Cellan-Jones, Paul Nurse, Kevin Fong and You, Me and the Big C&rsquo;s Lauren Mahon.&nbsp;&nbsp;
With a focus on accuracy, openness, and debate, A Question of Science brings you the latest on what we know, what we don&rsquo;t, and where science might take us next.&nbsp;
A BBC Studios production for the Francis Crick Institute, an independent charity and world-leading research lab.&nbsp;

A Question of Science

Science you can trust. Questions that matter.  

Join Professor Brian Cox and a panel of the world’s top scientists and experts as they tackle your questions about some of the biggest science challenges facing society today. 

Can we cure cancer? How do you separate nutrition fact from fiction? What do climate change and the march of AI mean for our future? Could we live forever? Each episode is recorded in front of a lively audience and it’s their questions that drive the debate. 

Hear from the experts who actually know what they’re talking about, including Adam Rutherford, Helen Sharman, George Monbiot, Giles Yeo, Jeanette Winterson, Rory Cellan-Jones, Paul Nurse, Kevin Fong and You, Me and the Big C’s Lauren Mahon.  

With a focus on accuracy, openness, and debate, A Question of Science brings you the latest on what we know, what we don’t, and where science might take us next. 

A BBC Studios production for the Francis Crick Institute, an independent charity and world-leading research lab. 

Science you can trust. Questions that matter.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Join Professor Brian Cox and a panel of the world&rsquo;s top scientists and experts as they tackle your questions about some of the biggest science challenges facing society today.&nbsp;
Can we cure cancer? How do you separate nutrition fact from fiction? What do climate change and the march of AI mean for our future? Could we live forever? Each episode is recorded in front of a lively audience and it&rsquo;s their questions that drive the debate.&nbsp;
Hear from the experts who actually know what they&rsquo;re talking about, including Adam Rutherford, Helen Sharman, George Monbiot, Giles Yeo, Jeanette Winterson, Rory Cellan-Jones, Paul Nurse, Kevin Fong and You, Me and the Big C&rsquo;s Lauren Mahon.&nbsp;&nbsp;
With a focus on accuracy, openness, and debate, A Question of Science brings you the latest on what we know, what we don&rsquo;t, and where science might take us next.&nbsp;
A BBC Studios production for the Francis Crick Institute, an independent charity and world-leading research lab.&nbsp;