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EPISODE · Feb 19, 2026 · 45 MIN

Michael Pollan’s journey to understand consciousness

from Fresh Air

Science journalist Michael Pollan has written extensively about the therapeutic benefits of mind-altering psychedelics. His new book, ‘A World Appears,’ asks, what is consciousness? “Consciousness has kind of become the secular substitute for the soul,” he tells Terry Gross. Pollan also talks about current studies on consciousness and whether plants and artificial intelligence have consciousness. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 19, 2026

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Michael Pollan’s journey to understand consciousness

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