My name is Kunjumon Vadakkan. I was born in Kerala, a southern state in India. I began my career as a family physician in 1988 shortly after earning my M.B.B.S. degree from Thrissur Medical College, affiliated with Calicut University. I later pursued postgraduate studies in biochemistry (M.D.) at Calicut Medical College under the mentorship of Dr. Leela Menon and Dr. Asuma Beevi. Alongside my academic pursuits, I also completed an evening course in basic electronics at the Television Training Institute located at Francis Road Junction, Calicut. Subsequently, I joined the School of Biotechnology at Jawaharlal Nehru University as a research associate with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in the laboratory of Dr. Uttam Pati. My research focused on the negative regulatory regions upstream of the p53 gene. Following this, I served as a Senior Demonstrator in the Department of Biochemistry at GB Pant hospital and Moulana Azad medical college, affiliated with the University of Delhi.

I later moved to Canada, where I began working as a Research Assistant in Dr. Casey van Breemen's laboratory in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia. I then pursued a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Neuroscience under the supervision of Dr. Umberto De Boni, followed by a Ph.D. in Neuroscience under the guidance of Dr. Min Zhuo, both from the Department of Physiology and the Program in Neuroscience at the University of Toronto. After completing my doctoral studies, I undertook a one-year postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Mark Zylka at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

At this stage, I came to appreciate the significance of the methods used in physics—particularly those designed to study particles and fields that are imperceptible to our senses, whether directly or through regular indirect means. I became convinced that the foundational principles underlying these approaches could provide valuable insights into how the brain generates internal sensations. This realization motivated me to formally study physics, leading me to relocate to Newfoundland, Canada. There, I enrolled at Memorial University and completed coursework equivalent to two years of a Bachelor of Science in Physics, including third-year Modern Physics (which I successfully passed!). During this time, several key concepts deepened my conviction about the theoretical approach I wished to pursue in neuroscience. These included: a) the historical context and principles behind the invention of complex numbers, b) the understanding that a system of n linear algebraic equations with n variables can be solved if n non-redundant equations are available, c) mathematical possibility for solving the above system using a small subset (small subset of n number) of equations containing all the variables, d) the idea that even large systems of equations can, in principle, be solved through a trial-and-error method (albeit time-consuming), and e) the discovery of imperceptible particles and fields (and hence any imperceptible mechanisms) through highly indirect means.

All of these reinforced my desire to adopt a theoretical framework to tackle the complexities of the nervous system. In mathematical terms, this work involves: a) decomposing the nervous system—viewed as a large system of linear algebraic equations—into manageable subsets, b) solving each subset (often yielding multiple solutions), c) identifying overlapping solutions among the subsets, d) recombining and re-configuring these subsets in new ways, and e) repeating this iterative process until a unified solution is reached.

I subsequently completed a residency program in Neurology through the Division of Neurology in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Manitoba, followed by a fellowship in Cognitive Neurology under the mentorship of Dr. Sandra Black at the University of Toronto. My approach was guided by the idea that, much like a novice can eventually understand how a car functions by observing broken ones being repaired over time, one can gain insight into the normal workings of the brain by studying its dysfunctions. After a brief Neurology fellowship at Dalhousie University's Division of Neurology, I continued to pursue this line of inquiry at the NeuroSearch Center in Toronto, where I further explored this hypothesis.

Given that the generation of internal sensations is the most critical and unique function of the nervous system, I developed a problem-set centered on first-person internal experiences of higher brain functions. This approach was guided by key questions: a) What are the essential conditions that any proposed solution must satisfy? (to solve the system), b) What additional elements must be present for the mechanism to be viable? (to identify interrelated findings), and c) Is there a mechanism that could be replicated in an engineered system? (the gold standard for verifying a system capable of generating first-person properties). This line of inquiry has yielded insights into potential structure-function units of the brain. Later, it was necessary to undertake a comprehensive examination of the system’s features across all levels, to verify whether this unifying mechanism can interconnect them.

Maintaining this website has not been an easy or comfortable endeavor for me. However, I felt compelled to do so because the scope of the problem is immense. It became clear that articulating a mechanism for brain function—and demonstrating its ability to simultaneously account for diverse findings across multiple levels—required a platform with sufficient space and flexibility. Through this site, I have shared how a cohesive framework began to emerge once a plausible mechanism for the generation of inner sensations was proposed. This platform has also served as a valuable source of inspiration, helping to sustain my work.

Science advances through open dialogue and critical debate. If your institution would be interested in a presentation on the semblance hypothesis or in hosting a debate session, I would be delighted to participate. Please feel free to reach out. Efforts to challenge and falsify a hypothesis are a vital part of the scientific method, and I welcome them wholeheartedly. With your consent, I would be happy to share such exchanges on this website.

Thank you for visiting. If you have any questions or thoughts, please email me: k dot vadakkan@gmail dot com

To pause and ponder: When we say that we don't understand how the brain works, what we truly mean is that we don't yet understand how it produces its most essential function—the first-person inner sensations associated with higher brain activity, which we commonly refer to as the "mind." This implies that we must explore uncharted territory and discover something fundamentally new, something beyond our current understanding.

Such a pursuit is inherently uncomfortable—especially those who search and report those new things. Yet it is only by embracing this discomfort and uncertainty that we can hope to solve this profound mystery. This step is not optional; it is necessary. Recognizing this is the most important part of the journey. Everything else is secondary. Together, one day we should be able to say that we are not the same old Earthlings! Article