Scientists question whether your consciousness is private or shared

Scientists are increasingly questioning whether consciousness belongs solely to individual brains or exists as something shared. The debate is gaining traction across neuroscience, physics, and archaeology. Medical cases have fueled the controversy. Some people with severe hydrocephalus have only a thin layer of brain tissue, yet hold university degrees and live normal lives. Neurologists struggle to explain how complex thought persists with so little cortex. The cases suggest brain size alone may not fully account for conscious experience. Archaeological evidence adds another layer. Ancient sites in Mesoamerica and the Andes were built to manipulate sound, light, and rhythm to alter awareness in groups. Modern experiments echo this idea. Brain scans show people working or singing together can synchronize brain waves, with stronger alignment predicting better cooperation. Some physicists go further, proposing consciousness could be a basic feature of the universe. For now, science admits it still does not know where consciousness truly begins.