Austin Burgess, Author at The Debrief

Lost in Thought: New Research Reveals How Meditation Can Potentially Unsettle the Mind

Austin Burgess·November 12, 2025

Many people view meditation as a way to achieve a calm state of well-being, but a recent study led by psychologist Nicholas Van Dam at the University of Melbourne suggests the effects can vary from person to person.

New Study Finds Half of Americans Don’t Know Alcohol Raises Cancer Risk

Austin Burgess·November 11, 2025

A recent study from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports that most adults in the United States do not realize that alcohol use increases their risk of developing cancer.

From Petals to Patties: Sunflowers Could Power the Next Generation of Vegan Meat

Austin Burgess·November 8, 2025

Researchers in Brazil and Germany have developed a new plant-based meat substitute using sunflower flour, one of the world’s most common oil crops.

Bioengineering ‘Hack’ Allows Scientists to Recreate Octopus Camouflage Pigment Using Bacteria

Austin Burgess·November 6, 2025

Scientists at UC San Diego have successfully used bacteria to reproduce a unique pigment that allows octopuses to blend in with their surroundings.

Flatworm Stem Cell Discovery Could Soon Rewrite the Rules of Regeneration Science

Austin Burgess·November 5, 2025

Scientists have long been intrigued by the ability of flatworms to regenerate complete bodies from small fragments of tissue. The underlying mechanisms behind this process have remained relatively unclear until recently.

The Discovery of a New Type of Time Crystal is Challenging Past Thinking on These Unusual Structures

Austin Burgess·October 23, 2025

Researchers have discovered that quantum interactions between particles can be used to create time crystals with their own internal rhythm, challenging previous beliefs about these strange structures.

Scientists Have Revealed the ‘Shocking’ Hunting Abilities of These Tiny Predaory Worms

Austin Burgess·October 18, 2025

Researchers have discovered a microscopic roundworm that uses electrostatic induction to launch itself onto flying insects.

Shape-Shifting ‘Chinese Lantern’ Structure Could Pave the Way for the Next Generation of Adaptive Machines

Austin Burgess·October 15, 2025

Engineers have developed a 'Chinese lantern' structure that can shape-shift into various three-dimensional forms on command.

Discovery of Ancient Amber in Ecuador Reveals the Tiny Inhabitants of an Ancient Gondwanan Forest

Austin Burgess·October 14, 2025

A team of scientists recently identified the first deposits of amber in South America to contain ancient insects, providing a window into biological life 112 million years ago.

‘Cyberdelics’ Enable Researchers to Produce Mind-Altering VR Hallucinations that Mimic the Effects of Psychedelic Drugs

Austin Burgess and Ryan Whalen·October 13, 2025

Scientists have found that immersive virtual reality may offer a way to replicate some of the psychological benefits associated with psychedelic substances, but without the use of any drugs.

Newly Discovered Glowing Shark and a Hidden Crab Reveal the Deep Sea’s Untold Biodiversity

Austin Burgess·October 13, 2025

Scientists have recently classified two new species off the coast of Western Australia that illuminate how little we actually know about life in the deep sea.

Ancient Fungi May Have Paved the Way for Life on Land, New Research Reveals

Austin Burgess·October 9, 2025

Before the first trees sprouted on Earth, the planet’s barren landscape may already have been transformed by fungi.

Venus Flytrap’s Bizarre Insect Capture Mechanism Has Long Puzzled Scientists—Now They Finally Know How It Works

Austin Burgess·October 3, 2025

Researchers have discovered how the Venus flytrap translates a physical touch into an electrical signal that quickly closes its trap.

“We’re Able to See It from Space”: New Clues Point to a Vast Ocean on Ancient Mars

Austin Burgess·October 2, 2025

A recent study suggests that Mars displays clear geological signs indicating that ancient rivers once emptied into a massive body of water in its northern hemisphere.

Million-Year-Old Skull Unearthed in China Challenges Timeline of Human Origins

Austin Burgess·October 1, 2025

Digital reconstructions of a million-year-old skull uncovered in China could potentially rewrite the origin story of early humans.

Conflict or Coexistence? New Study Warns AI May Not Share Humanity’s Incentives for Peace

Austin Burgess·September 30, 2025

Could humans find ourselves in conflict with AI? A new study explores the risk of violent conflict between humanity and AI.

This Unusual 4000-Year-Old Statue is Challenging Our Ideas on Ancient Egyptian Traditions

Austin Burgess·September 29, 2025

Archaeologists have unearthed a 4,000-year-old limestone Egyptian statue that's unlike any previously discovered.

Evolutionary Mystery of Psilocybin Deepens With Discovery That Mushrooms Twice Evolved the Psychedelic Compound

Austin Burgess·September 26, 2025

New research reveals a psychedelic mystery involving how two types of mushrooms evolved to produce psilocybin on separate occasions.

12,000-Year-Old Evidence Reveals Smoke-Drying Mummies Preceded Egypt’s Pyramids

Austin Burgess·September 25, 2025

A new study suggests that the people of ancient southern China and Southeast Asia practiced mummification by curing bodies over low, smoky fires.

Scientists Reveal Odd “Flexoelectric Effect” in Ice Could Explain Lightning’s Mysterious Origins

Austin Burgess·September 24, 2025

A new study in Nature Physics reveals that ordinary ice can generate electricity when it is bent or deformed.

Strange Blue Bird Spotted in Texas Believed to Be the First Known Hybrid Between Blue and Green Jay Species

Austin Burgess·September 23, 2025

A recent study confirmed the existence of a hybrid bird between the blue jay and green jay species in nature.

Bizarre “Steam Worlds” Could Offer New Clues in the Search for Alien Life

Austin Burgess·September 18, 2025

Strange “steam worlds” may hold the key to understanding where life could exist beyond Earth.

Culture May Be Replacing DNA as the Driver of Human Evolution, New Theory Suggests

Austin Burgess·September 17, 2025

Scientists are re-examining whether genetic changes remain the primary catalyst of human evolution, or if another factor has become more influential.

Scientists Studying Ancient Mastodon DNA Have Made an Unexpected Discovery About These Ice Age Giants

Austin Burgess·September 16, 2025

New studies of genomes from mastodon fossils suggest these ice age beasts were a more diverse group than previously thought.

The Nearest Alien Civilization Might Be Across the Galaxy—and Millions of Years Older Than Us

Austin Burgess·September 16, 2025

New research reveals where the nearest alien civilization may exist, which could be far older than intelligent life on Earth.

Cannabis Waste Holds Rare Compounds With Medical Promise, New Research Reveals

Austin Burgess·September 15, 2025

Scientists at Stellenbosch University report the identification of flavoalkaloids, a previously unreported class of rare compounds in cannabis.

“The Accident”: How a Cosmic Misfit Helped Solve a Planetary Mystery

Austin Burgess·September 14, 2025

A detailed study of a cosmic mystery known as "The Accident" has now provided new insight into the formation of clouds on giant gas planets.

Mystery of ‘Homo Naledi,’ an Ancient Human Species Who Buried Their Dead, Deepens with New Burial Discovery

Austin Burgess·September 13, 2025

Homo Naledi, an extinct species of small-bodied hominins, may have intentionally buried their dead over 240,000 years ago.

China Says It Wants to Kill an Asteroid

Austin Burgess·September 12, 2025

According to China's space agency, the government is preparing to test a direct method of planetary defense by sending a spacecraft to collide with an asteroid.

This New Material Can Use Plastic Waste To Solve the Climate Crisis by Capturing Carbon Dioxide

Austin Burgess·September 10, 2025

Plastics are a major source of pollution and rising levels of atmospheric CO₂ continue to drive climate change. A new material could help address both problems.

“It Literally Leapt Out of the Rock at Us”: 150 Million-Year-Old Baby Pterosaur Fossils Stun Paleontologists

Austin Burgess·September 9, 2025

A recent study provides fresh details about how two small 150 million-year-old pterosaurs met their end during intense tropical storms.

Bending it like Beckham: Soccer’s New Upstart Artificial Intelligence Tool Could Change Sports Forever

Austin Burgess·September 8, 2025

Researchers have developed an AI-based method to make complex tracking data for sports like soccer more accessible.

New Predictive “Intelligent Drone Swarm” Technology Allows Drones to Cooperate for Faster, Safer Flight

Austin Burgess·September 5, 2025

Researchers at Durham University have developed a new system that enables drones to fly in precisely coordinated swarm formations.

Psychedelics Can Quickly Reorganize Our Brain Functions, Offering Promise for Lasting Therapeutic Approaches

Austin Burgess·September 3, 2025

New studies reveal how psychedelics can reorganize brain function, offering stronger, longer-lasting benefits than conventional approaches.

Rare Case of ‘Autobiographical Hypermnesia’ Reveals How the Brain Travels Through Time

Austin Burgess·September 2, 2025

Scientists explore 'autobiographical hypermnesia,' a rare ability that allows people to recall of life events in exceptional detail.

45 Years of Psychedelic Research Reveals the Deeper Threads of Human Connection, Researcher Says

Austin Burgess·August 31, 2025

Psychedelic research sheds light on experiences such as empathy and unity that cross cultural boundaries and speak to shared human qualities.

Scientists May Have Cracked the Code for Creating ‘Flying’ Space-Time Hopfion Crystals

Austin Burgess·August 29, 2025

Scientists develop a means of creating 'hopfion' crystals, complex, knot-like patterns of light that repeat across both space and time.

AI Unveils a Major Discovery in Ancient Microbes That Could Hold the Key to Next Generation Antibiotics

Austin Burgess·August 21, 2025

AI is searching for new antibiotics within ancient, single-celled microbes known for their ability to survive in extreme environments.

Rare Martian Mineral Discovery Could Reveal Clues to the Red Planet’s Thermal and Chemical Evolution

Austin Burgess·August 19, 2025

Scientists have recently identified a mineral on Mars that may offer new insights into the planet's complex thermal and chemical history.