"What is consciousness?", and another 20 Questions

I really like most all of the questions in the article, especially the first few near the top. But if I had to choose one, I'd say my favorite question is, "What is consciousness?". I think this question appeals to me because we hardly know anything about our brain and nervous system. And even though we know all about the physiological processes, we are nowhere close to comprehending our ability to understand language and picturing images in our mind.
The consciousness is one of these mysterious things about the brain that I don't think anyone really understands. In reality, our body is just a means of receiving and exporting information. The brain is the real thing controlling, preparing and processing this information.
I also believe that our understanding of "what we are" has changed over time. Originally, we assumed that this body was "me", and later we were able to grasp the concept that we are actually just a lump of neurons sitting in this body's head. Soon, I think we may be able to fully comprehend the fact that our consciousness is just a bunch electrochemical messages constantly being relayed between a few billion neurons inside of our skull.
The main hypothesis on what our consciousness is, is that as we sift through so much information in our lifetime, we quickly are able to tell what is real and what is not. We learn that the things we imagine and dream are all in our mind, but the real world is something that others also perceive and that everyone knows is true.
My Big 20 Questions: 

1. What causes self-awareness?
2. Do we have biological free will from our brains?
3. What allows us to see things in our mind? What allows the mind's eye?
4. Is medical progress hindering human evolution?
5. Why are plant cells usually larger than animal cells?
6. How much energy does my phone use per minute?
7. Who will win the 2016 presidential election?
8. Because our government uses the electoral college, is the USA really a democracy?
9. How can I know that the universe didn't begin just a few minutes ago and that all my memories were implanted?
10. Is Obama and any of our federal government real? I've only seen them on TV.
11. How much longer will we continue to find and use fossil fuels?
12. Is solar power ever going to become practical?
13. When will the human race master interstellar space travel?
14. Will socialism ever become the global government norm?
15. Will humans slowly degrade mentally and physically due to our laziness and stupidity?
16. Will humans ever become a purely mental race which only interacts psychologically rather than physically?
17. If time travel is possible, then where are the visitors hiding?
18. Why does my ring finger also bend when I bend my pinky?
19. Could humans function with only 2 or 3 fingers and an opposable thumb?
20. Can gravity truly be quantized and if so will we be able to harness its potential as an energy source?