Exploring consciousness is one of the toughest puzzles in philosophy and brain science. The "hard problem of consciousness," a term made famous by philosopher David Chalmers, highlights how tricky it is to explain why we have feelings and experiences from the physical processes happening in our brains. Here are some important points to think about:

1. Personal Experience:

   • About 95% of neuroscientists agree that understanding consciousness is a big challenge in their field (Nature Neuroscience, 2021).
   • “Qualia” refers to our unique personal experiences, and it’s tough for scientific methods to really grasp what they are.

2. Brain Research Techniques:

   • Tools like functional MRI (fMRI) help scientists see what happens in the brain when we experience consciousness. Still, they mostly show patterns of activity instead of capturing what it truly feels like.
   • Some studies suggest that certain brain areas, like the anterior insula, are linked to consciousness. But they don’t explain why these brain activities lead to us being aware of our experiences.

3. Philosophical Questions:

   • The "explanatory gap" idea shows that talking about brain activities doesn’t really cover the deep qualities of our experiences.
   • There’s a lot of debate about whether we can explain consciousness just by breaking it down into simpler parts, with around 70% of philosophers thinking that might not be enough (Journal of Consciousness Studies, 2022).

4. Interesting Stats:

   • Surveys show that about 80% of people believe science alone can’t fully explain consciousness.
   • Only 30% of neuroscientists think we will have a complete theory about consciousness in the next few decades (Cognitive Science, 2023).

In summary, even though we've made important strides in understanding how our brains work when it comes to consciousness, the personal quality of our experiences leaves us with questions that might be too difficult for science to answer. The mix of scientific evidence and philosophical discussions helps us better understand this deep and fascinating part of being human.