Nick Lane

So we're trying to do it.

It's difficult.

So I believe, I think we'll get there, which is why we're trying to do it.

But maybe we won't, in which case, again, the hypothesis is wrong.

You've got to wake up every morning and think the hypothesis could be wrong.

It's beautiful.

It makes sense.

But there's so many

Beautiful ideas killed by ugly facts.

So there's no good believing that you're right.

You've got to believe you're probably wrong and keep going anyway.

And then the other thing which I'm excited about at the moment is work on anesthetics and mitochondria.

It turns out, I heard this from a guy called Luca Turin a few years ago now, who pointed out to me that anesthetics affect mitochondria.

I had no idea that anesthetics affect mitochondria.

Well, they do.

We've been doing experiments on it.

And it seems...

not fully established this yet, but it does seem as if their main effect is mitochondria.

And anesthetics work on all kinds of things, including things like amoeba.

So it's already saying, it doesn't prove anything, but it's beginning to say, well, if you can make an amoeba unconscious, then was it conscious before?