Ever since we published our very first issue 123 years ago—yes, we’re old—Popular Mechanics has endeavored to help you understand all kinds of technological marvels, from the tools in your shed, to ...

For the average person, any explanation about philosophers and physicists warring over the nature of consciousness — no matter how colorfully described — would probably sound like an embarrassingly ...

In this video, we explore the simulation hypothesis, which posits that our reality may be a highly advanced digital ...

We do not observe reality, we observe our REACTIONS to it. In other words: Reality is, in essence, neutral. YOU give it meaning. Although spending time in the realm of academia gave me opportunities ...

What if you could learn how to play an instrument, practice for a job interview, or battle your biggest fear, all while you were asleep? That’s the incredible promise of lucid dreaming, a skill that ...

This conundrum, known as the hard problem of consciousness, has baffled many scientists and philosophers. Hoffman believes the way forward is to assume that consciousness precedes brains and is ...

Modern physics has been shaped by great minds, yet somehow physics hasn’t explained what the mind is. For decades consciousness was not a respectable area of inquiry in physics, yet the great quantum ...

For millennia, humans have been extracting and using natural psychedelics to alter their moods and perceptions, distorting their sense of reality. From Amazonian Ayahuasca rituals to ancient use of ...