×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ presents ...
Instant Expert: Consciousness and the mind-body connection
Saturday 26 April 2025, 10am - 5pm | Congress Centre, 28 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3LS
Science is more aware than ever of the myriad complex links between our physical and the mental worlds; from the strange effects of placebos and nocebos, to the explosion of research into interoception (how the brain perceives the body).
At the heart of these discussions is the mystery of consciousness – how can a physical object like a brain be aware of its own existence?
There’s also the Enteric nervous system, a mesh-like system of neurons that governs the function of the gastrointestinal tract, often nicknamed our ‘second brain’.
Join six world-leading experts to discover how our minds and bodies are inextricably linked, and how leading-edge neuroscience is revealing what this means for our future health and wellbeing.
At this Instant Expert, you’ll:
· Learn about the latest theories of consciousness.
· Explore the fascinating insights from interoception research.
· Hear how placebos and nocebos can make us feel better or worse, with no active ingredients.
· Discover the body’s ‘second brain’.
· Network with leading brain scientists.
Talks and speakers:
TALK: What is interoception?
Jennifer Murphy, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of Surrey
Explore the complexities of interoception including how we perceive our body’s internal signals and the challenges of measuring it, while revealing its important connections to health and cognitive function.
Interoception is described as the perception of the internal state of one’s body and includes sensations such as cardiac or respiratory signals. Despite great interest in interoception, there remains uncertainty regarding the measurement and conceptualization of interoception, as well as its relationship with health and higher order cognition. This talk will provide an overview of work that has scrutinised the measurement of interoception and sought to develop solutions to the challenges of interoception measurement that may be used to understand the relevance of interoception for health and cognition. Together these findings suggest that interoception is a multifaceted construct with relevance for health and cognition, though further work is required to adequately measure individual differences in interoceptive ability.
TALK: How the human brain thinks about itself
Stephen Fleming, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London
Discover how the brain’s ability to reflect on its own thinking shapes our success, with major implications for mental health, education, and AI.
The human brain has a remarkable ability to monitor and evaluate its own thinking, known as metacognition. Metacognition is crucial to success, enabling us to recognise gaps in our knowledge and collaborate effectively. Problems with metacognition are linked to maladaptive behaviours, such as endorsing false beliefs or being unaware of our own limitations. Stephen will explore the tools we can use to isolate how this extraordinary capacity for self-reflection is supported by the functions of the human brain. By combining mathematical models of human behaviour with cutting-edge brain imaging techniques, Stephen and his team are discovering the building blocks of metacognition, and asking how these pieces come together to support a rich awareness of own skills and capabilities. This work is uncovering the neurobiology of a core aspect of what makes us human, with wide-ranging implications for mental health, education and AI.
TALK: What the science of consciousness can teach us about our place in the universe
Adam Barrett, Deputy Director, Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex
Find out how panpsychism and eternalism reshape our understanding of consciousness and our place in the universe
In this talk, Adam explains two major insights that science provides about our place in the universe. The first of these is ‘panpsychism’ – consciousness is a fundamental property of matter, and we’re all in some sense part of the same being. After arguing for this, there follows a discussion on where we’re at in understanding what is the fundamental physical substrate of consciousness, via an accessible account of the much-misunderstood integrated information theory. The second insight is ‘eternalism’ – that past, present and future exist equally. It is explained how this follows from Einstein’s theory of relativity. The talk concludes with a discussion on how these two insights can provide spiritual comfort, with knock-on benefits for mental health and society.
TALK: The creative mind: How memory and imagination shape our past and our future
Catherine Loveday, Research Professor, University of Westminster
Explore how memory reconstruction shapes our past, influences our decisions and affects our sense of identity and ability to predict the future.
In this talk, Catherine Loveday will explore the fascinating process of memory reconstruction in the brain. She will explain how each act of remembering involves a dynamic interplay between memory and imagination, reshaping our past experiences and influencing our decisions about the future. By delving into the neural mechanisms behind this process, Catherine will highlight how memories are not static but are continually updated and influenced by our current thoughts and emotions. She will show the implications of this for personal identity and the reliability of our memories, as well as our capacity to predict the future.
The gut-brain connection: how our microbiome influences mental health
Phil Burnet, Professor of Neuroscience, University of Oxford
Explore how memory reconstruction shapes our past, influences our decisions and affects our sense of identity and ability to predict the future.
Join Phil Burnet, a leading researcher from the University of Oxford's Department of Psychiatry, as he delves into the fascinating world of the gut-brain axis. Phil will explore how the trillions of microbes residing in our gut can significantly impact our mood, cognition, and overall mental health. Discover the latest scientific findings on the microbiome's role in brain function, and learn about potential future therapies that harness the power of gut bacteria to improve mental well-being.
TALK: The placebo effect: Implications for healthcare and treatment strategies
Flis Bishop, Professor of health psychology, University of Southampton
Explore how simple inert substances can trigger real physiological responses and influence patient outcomes through belief and expectation.
Join Flis Bishop from the University of Southampton as she discusses the placebo effect. Discover how these inert substances, often dismissed as mere sugar pills, can trigger real physiological responses and impact patient outcomes through the power of belief and expectation. This talk will delve into the latest research on placebo effects, exploring their implications for healthcare and treatment strategies.
Who should attend?
This masterclass is designed for everyone who wants to learn about about the latest theories of consciousness.
- Become an expert in one day
- Informal set-up, meet like minded people
- Open your mind, be inspired
- Unique chance to ask your burning questions to our experts
Instant Expert: Consciousness and the mind-body connection will be our last event in the Instant Expert series, which will be taking a break for the foreseeable future.
If you've enjoyed our Instant Expert events, don't miss ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ Live—the world's greatest festival of ideas and discoveries—happening from October 18–20 at ExCeL London. Over three action-packed days, we’ll host more than 70 speakers across our four main stages: The Universe Stage, Mind and Body Stage, Future Stage, and Our Planet Stage.
We also have a brand-new event series focused on emerging technologies, designed for senior business leaders.
Exclusively for our subscribers, we’re continuing our quarterly series of engaging online events. Visit our events calendar for the latest information.
What's included in your ticket:
In-depth and engaging talks from six leading scientists
Ask-an-expert Question Time session
Your chance to meet our six speakers and ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ host
Exclusive on-the-day ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ subscription deal, book and merchandise offers Booking information:
The event will be held at the Congress Centre, 28 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3LS
Doors will open at 9:15am, with talks commencing at 10am sharp. The event will finish at 5pm.
We require the name of each person attending - please ensure this is provided at the time of booking. If you need to change the name of an attendee, please notify us as soon as possible: live@newscientist.com
Eventbrite will email you your ticket(s) immediately after purchase. Please remember to bring your ticket(s) with you as you'll need it to gain entry. We can scan tickets from a print out, or off the screen of a phone / tablet / smartwatch.
The schedule / exact running order for the day will be confirmed closer to the event, and will be emailed to all ticket holders.
Lunch will NOT be provided at this event. Visitors are welcome to bring their own food, or purchase lunch at one of the many establishments in the surrounding area.
Should you require details about disabled access, please contact us at: live@newscientist.com
Tickets are non-transferable to any other ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ event.
All tickets are non-refundable.
×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ reserves the right to alter the event and its line-up, or cancel the event. In the unlikely event of cancellation, all tickets will be fully refunded. ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ Ltd will not be liable for any additional expenses incurred by ticket holders in relation to the event.
Tickets are subject to availability and are only available in advance through Eventbrite.
