When and why did consciousness evolve on Earth?
Every minute you spend awake, your mind passes from experience to experience. This ebb and flow of thoughts and feelings is often called a ‘stream of consciousness’ – and, throughout history, it was largely believed to only exist in humans. However, thanks to decades of consciousness research, we now know that consciousness is far more widespread in the animal kingdom than we ever imagined.
Which begs the question, why did consciousness evolve in the first place – and when?
A compelling new theory from Eva Jablonka at Tel Aviv University and Simona Ginsburg at the Open University of Israel may just have the answers. Their theory hinges around a process called ‘unlimited associative learning’ and the evolution of this ability may have been a decisive factor in why our earliest ancestors not only survived but thrived.
Script & narration: David Robson
Animation: Archie Crofton
Producer: Florence Craig
Special thanks to Eva Jablonka & Simona Ginsburg
