By — William Brangham William Brangham By — Claire Mufson Claire Mufson By — Madison Staten Madison Staten By — Satvi Sunkara Satvi Sunkara By — Juliet Fuisz Juliet Fuisz By — Alexa Gold Alexa Gold By — Zoie Lambert Zoie Lambert Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/video/horizons/2026/03/exploring-the-power-and-mystery-of-consciousness Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Story All of us experience consciousness. We have thoughts and feelings, and we're aware of those acting upon us. It's the hidden internal lens through which we view the world, but why do we have this power, and are we the only ones that do? Horizons moderator William Brangham explores this defining aspect of being human with Michael Pollan, author of "A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness." By — William Brangham William Brangham William Brangham is an award-winning correspondent, producer, and substitute anchor for the PBS News Hour. He also serves as the host of Horizons from PBS News. @WmBrangham By — Claire Mufson Claire Mufson Claire Mufson is a journalist and general assignment producer at PBS News Weekend. She produces stories on a wide range of topics including breaking news, health care, culture, disability and the environment. Before joining PBS News, she worked in Paris for French public broadcasting channel France 24 and for The New York Times. By — Madison Staten Madison Staten By — Satvi Sunkara Satvi Sunkara Satvi Sunkara is an associate producer for PBS News Weekend. By — Juliet Fuisz Juliet Fuisz By — Alexa Gold Alexa Gold By — Zoie Lambert Zoie Lambert Zoie Lambert is a production assistant for PBS News Weekend.