Austin Burgess, Author at The Debrief

Asteroid Impact Craters May Have Helped Create Early Habitats for Oxygen-Producing Life

Austin Burgess·May 29, 2026

Scientists studying an ancient asteroid crater on the Korean Peninsula have uncovered rock formations that may offer clues to the rise of atmospheric oxygen on Earth.

Experts Warn This ‘Invisible’ Surveillance System is Already Built Into WiFi

Austin Burgess·May 28, 2026

Many people believe that revoking certain microphone privileges on their phones or smart devices is enough to avoid digital surveillance; however, a new study from Germany shows that this is not the case.

Psilocybin Helped Reduce Depression Symptoms Within Just Days, Recent Clinical Trial Reveals

Austin Burgess·May 27, 2026

A recent clinical trial in Sweden found that a single oral dose of psilocybin reduced depressive symptoms within 48 hours in participants suffering from moderate to severe depression.

Could A.I. Soon Join Humans in ‘Sensing’ the World Around Us? This Professor Says It Might Be Possible

Austin Burgess·May 23, 2026

A new book suggests that artificial intelligence is moving beyond simply processing information and is starting to perceive the world through senses similar to those of humans.

A Statistical ‘Fingerprint’ Could Reveal Alien Life Detectable by Current Spacecraft

Austin Burgess·May 21, 2026

Alien life could be leaving a statistical signature detectable in the molecular data already collected by spacecraft, new research suggests.

DNA From a Decades-Old Museum Specimen Reveals the Hidden Lineage of a Tiny Underwater Predator

Austin Burgess·May 18, 2026

While most fruit flies are commonly known for their attraction to fermenting fruit, one species has evolved to hunt in the fast-moving streams of Africa, taking on the role of a predator.

Dream-Like Mental States Can Occur While Awake, Study Finds

Austin Burgess·May 17, 2026

Shifting mental experiences we usually associate with dreaming can also occur while we are awake, a new study says.

A Single Dose of Psilocybin May Produce Lasting Brain Changes, Study Finds

Austin Burgess·May 14, 2026

A new study shows that one psychedelic experience doesn't just alter how a person feels; it may also change the brain itself.

Cannabis, Not Psychedelics, Is the Most Common Microdosing Drug in the U.S.

Austin Burgess·May 13, 2026

A research team at the University of California, San Diego, found that cannabis is the most widely microdosed substance in the United States.

Return of the Boltzmann Brains: Why a Bizarre Hypothesis Suggests the Past May Be Harder to Prove Than We Think

Austin Burgess·May 12, 2026

Physicists are revisiting the bizarre paradox of "Boltzmann brains," and whether memories could be illusions created by chance from "cosmic static."

A 250-Year-Old Mechanical Volcano Finally Erupts for the First Time

Austin Burgess·May 11, 2026

250-year-old plans for a model that would mechanically recreate the eruption of Mount Vesuvius have finally been brought to life.

A Hot Pink Katydid Just Pulled Off One of Nature’s Most Surprising Camouflage Tricks

Austin Burgess·May 11, 2026

The findings, published in Ecology, center on Arota festae, a leaf-mimicking katydid found in Panama, Colombia, and Suriname.

Dreams May Reflect More Than Past Experiences, New Study Finds

Austin Burgess·May 7, 2026

A new study shows that our personal traits as well as real-life events and experiences actually shape what we dream about, creating patterns in our subconscious.

A Subtle Shift in the Nile May Explain the Rise of an Ancient African Empire

Austin Burgess·May 6, 2026

Recent research from the University of Michigan now provides a geological explanation for why this part of the Nile became the foundation for Kushite civilization.

Exercise Variety, Not Just Volume, Linked to Lower Risk of Death in New Research

Austin Burgess·May 5, 2026

A long-term study reveals that the kinds of physical activity a person engages in may be just as important as the total amount.

Scientists Propose Our Eyes Evolved From This Ancient “Cyclops” Organ

Austin Burgess·May 4, 2026

Deep in human evolutionary history, before anything recognizable as a vertebrate existed, one of our oldest relatives had a single eye sitting on top of its head.

Aggressive “Hulk” Lizards Are Disrupting a Long-Stable Evolutionary System

Austin Burgess·April 30, 2026

Recent research has found that this balance is being disrupted by the spread of a larger, more aggressive green-and-black lizard, which is driving the decline of the other color types.

Mystery Fossils Reveal the First Known Ankylosaur Hatchling

Austin Burgess·April 29, 2026

For over two decades, paleontologists have puzzled over a set of unusually small dinosaur fossils from northeastern China.

Scientists Propose New Way to Detect Alien Life Using Planetary Patterns

Austin Burgess·April 28, 2026

Searching for alien life by looking for specific signals from individual planets may overlook a larger pattern, new research suggests.

Your Dreams May Shape How You Feel the Next Day More Than You Realize

Austin Burgess·April 26, 2026

Recent research indicates that the content of your dreams, including the unsettling moments, may influence your emotional well-being more than previously understood.

U.S. Moves Marijuana to Schedule III, Reshaping Research and the Cannabis Economy

Austin Burgess·April 24, 2026

The United States federal government reclassified state-licensed medical marijuana on Thursday, ending decades of policy that placed the drug in the same category as heroin and had long restricted its use in scientific research.

A Ghostly Fish in the Amazon is Inspiring the Next Generation of Underwater Robots

Austin Burgess·April 23, 2026

Researchers studying the mechanics of the Black Ghost Knifefish say it could shape the next generation of underwater robots.

Researchers Say Genetics Plays Larger Role in Longevity Than Thought

Austin Burgess·April 22, 2026

Researchers found that genetics may account for about half of the variation in human lifespan, which is at least twice as much as previous estimates and, in some cases, much higher.

A Cave in Israel Is Rewriting What We Thought We Knew About Neanderthals and Early Humans

Austin Burgess·April 21, 2026

Archaeologists have found evidence that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens not only lived side by side during the mid-Middle Paleolithic era, but may have also influenced each other's ways of life.

Scientists Identify Appetite-Suppressing Peptide That Works Outside Known Weight-Loss Pathways

Austin Burgess·April 21, 2026

A team at Stanford Medicine has now identified a naturally occurring molecule that suppresses appetite and promotes fat loss in animal studies, without many of the side effects linked to semaglutide, the main ingredient in Ozempic.

Researchers Develop Framework to Explain Chronic Nightmares in Children

Austin Burgess·April 20, 2026

Published in Frontiers in Sleep, the research presents the DARC-NESS model, which offers a new approach to understanding why nightmares persist in children and how therapy can be designed to break this cycle.

Five Psychedelics, One Pattern: Largest Brain Imaging Study of Psychedelics To Date Reveals a Surprising Neural Signature

Austin Burgess·April 17, 2026

The largest brain imaging analysis of psychedelics to date, recently published in Nature Medicine, has identified two patterns of brain activity that appear across five different drugs.

Tibetan Buddhism and the Science of Death: New Perspectives on Consciousness and End-of-Life Care

Austin Burgess·April 15, 2026

At the 15th 'Behind and Beyond the Brain' Symposium, hosted by the Bial Foundation, experts in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy gathered for three days to examine the science of end-of-life experiences.

A New Solar-Powered Device Could Bring Clean Drinking Water to Millions Using Sunlight and Food Dye

Austin Burgess·April 14, 2026

Described in the journal npj Clean Water, the system combines several proven disinfection methods into one compact device.

No Drugs Required: Brain Scans Reveal the People Who Can Enter a Self-Induced Trance

Austin Burgess·April 13, 2026

Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan the brain of a woman who can enter a psychedelic-like trance state on her own, without drugs.

A Chaotic Chapter in Earth’s Magnetic History May Actually Follow a Hidden Pattern

Austin Burgess·April 9, 2026

Long before the first animals walked on land, Earth's magnetic field began to shift in chaotic ways that have puzzled scientists for decades.

Missing for 2000 Years, the “Lost” Verses from This Ancient Greek Philosopher’s Writings Have Finally Been Discovered

Austin Burgess·April 8, 2026

A papyrologist at the University of Liège has made a remarkable discovery in the archives of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo.

Tiny Robots Built From DNA Could Hunt Viruses and Deliver Drugs Inside the Human Body

Austin Burgess·April 7, 2026

A recent review published in the journal SmartBot says these DNA nanorobots could one day be capable of delivering drugs to specific locations in the body, capturing viruses like SARS-CoV-2, and even helping build tiny computing devices.

“Ghost Forests” Are Quietly Disrupting the Chemistry of Coastal Soils, Research Reveals

Austin Burgess·April 6, 2026

Recent research indicates that "ghost forests" impact their surrounding ecosystem in ways that extend beyond their haunting appearance.

Scientists Reveal Alcohol is Widespread in the Nectar from Flowers Pollinators Drink All Day

Austin Burgess·April 2, 2026

In the first large-scale survey of alcohol in floral nectar, biologists detected ethanol in samples from 26 of 29 plant species examined.

AI Has Revealed Unexpected Connections Between Ancient Alphabets Across Continents

Austin Burgess·April 1, 2026

Historians have observed that some letters in the Armenian, Georgian, and Caucasian Albanian alphabets closely resemble characters in Ethiopic, the ancient script of the Horn of Africa.

Vivid Dreams May Actually Make Your Sleep Feel Deeper, New Study Finds

Austin Burgess·March 31, 2026

A new study from the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca finds that vivid, immersive dreams can actually make sleep feel deeper, even when brain activity is higher.

Scientists Finally Understand How Mosquitoes Zero In on Human Targets “Like Little Robots”

Austin Burgess·March 30, 2026

A new mathematical model built from 20 million data points reveals the precise rules mosquitoes use to zero in on humans.

Scientists Discover Unusual Pigment Structures in Platypus Fur

Austin Burgess·March 25, 2026

A recent study published in Biology Letters reports that platypus hair contains hollow, spherical melanosomes, a combination not previously documented in mammals or other vertebrates.

Coffee and Tea Linked to Lower Dementia Risk Over Decades of Tracking

Austin Burgess·March 24, 2026

A long-term study led by researchers from Mass General Brigham found that moderate consumption of caffeinated coffee or tea was associated with a lower risk of dementia and improved cognitive performance in participants over time.

Innovative New Design Helps Superconductors Withstand Heat and Magnetic Fields

Austin Burgess·March 23, 2026

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology shaped the surface where superconducting material is grown, improving its performance at higher temperatures, and preserving its stability in strong magnetic fields.

Falling Fruit Reveals a Hidden Pact Between Plants and Pollinating Beetles

Austin Burgess·March 23, 2026

A team at Kobe University has discovered a previously overlooked dynamic between the Japanese red elder plant and a group of beetles that both harm and help the plant.

The Origins of a Mysterious Structure Beneath the North Sea Has Finally Been Revealed—Along With the Tsunami Its Formation Caused

Austin Burgess·March 18, 2026

After years of debate, scientists have finally solved the mystery of a structure hidden under the North Sea.