Austin Burgess

‘Action Crisis’ Unraveled: New Research Tackles the Psychology of Doubting Your Doubts

Austin Burgess·January 2, 2026

Researchers found that prompting people to question their own doubts, a process called meta-cognitive doubt, can actually strengthen commitment to goals that are central to their identity.

“This Was a Remarkable Observation”: Deep-Sea ‘Zombie Worms’ Have Gone Missing, and It Has Ocean Scientists Concerned

Austin Burgess·January 1, 2026

A team of researchers led by Ocean Networks Canada conducted an experiment to lure a species of deep-sea worms to colonize remains placed on the seafloor.

Consciousness May Depend on the Physics of the Brain, Not Just Code

Austin Burgess·December 31, 2025

A new theoretical study argues that many standard beliefs about consciousness are rooted in a misleading concept of how the brain functions.

Scientists Reveal How Dinosaur Eggshells Can Function as Natural Clocks for Measuring Deep Time

Austin Burgess·December 30, 2025

New research shows that fossilized dinosaur eggshells can be used to help scientists more precisely date prehistoric nesting sites.

A Century Later, Ramanujan’s Pi Equations Are Helping Physicists Unlock the Secrets of Nature

Austin Burgess·December 28, 2025

In 1914, Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan published a short paper detailing several unusual formulas for calculating the value of the number π.

An Ancient Sewer System is Revealing How Disease Spread Among Roman Soldiers

Austin Burgess·December 26, 2025

Roman soldiers living along Britain’s northern frontier used communal bath and toilet facilities that depended on a sewer system to remove waste from their fort.

A New Theory Suggests Mass May Emerge From Invisible Dimensions

Austin Burgess·December 23, 2025

A recent study published in Nuclear Physics B examines how hidden dimensions might influence the physical reality that we observe.

Giant Marine Predators Once Hunted in Freshwater Rivers, New Study Suggests

Austin Burgess·December 20, 2025

Large prehistoric marine reptiles known as mosasaurs dominated the oceans until their extinction 66 million years ago.

Combining These Two Cannabis Compounds Reveals a Promising Tool in the Fight Against Ovarian Cancer

Austin Burgess·December 18, 2025

Ovarian cancer is among the most lethal gynecological cancers because it is often detected at an advanced stage and can be resistant to treatment options.

A Thousand-Year Drought May Have Driven “Hobbits” to Extinction, New Research Reveals

Austin Burgess·December 17, 2025

A recent climate study from the University of Wollongong suggests that Homo floresiensis, the small early human species from Liang Bua cave, endured centuries of increasingly severe drought on Flores

4000-Year-Old Discovery Offers Breakthrough in the Mystery of What Fueled a Bronze Age Plague

Austin Burgess·December 16, 2025

Scientists have unraveled how an early form of Bronze Age plague that differed from the Black Death spread across Europe.

Radiocarbon Study Redraws the Timeline of Ancient Egypt’s First Pharaohs

Austin Burgess·December 12, 2025

New data from radiocarbon dating is offering deeper insights into ancient Egypt and its relationship with the volcanic eruption at Thera.

New Research Has Revealed a Big Surprise About Baby Dinosaurs, Upending Past Thinking About These Ancient Reptiles

Austin Burgess·December 10, 2025

Emerging research suggests that dinosaur babies didn’t just grow into adults—they transformed their environments.

Engineered Rabies Virus Reveals How Psilocybin Reshapes Neural Pathways

Austin Burgess·December 10, 2025

New research reveals how psilocybin reshapes connections across the brain, helping explain how it can ease depression symptoms for weeks or even months.

Your Brain Rewrites Your Memories Each Time You Recall Them, New Study Finds

Austin Burgess·December 9, 2025

A recent neuroscience review questions the long-held belief that memories are unchanging records of past events.

New DMT Study Reveals How the Brain Loses Its Sense of Self Under the Psychedelic Compound’s Influence

Austin Burgess·December 6, 2025

A new neuroscience study reports that the psychedelic compound DMT disrupts a key brain rhythm linked to self-awareness.

This Tiny Worm Could Hold a Major Clue to How the Brain Regulates Aging

Austin Burgess·December 4, 2025

A surprising discovery from aging researchers shows that dietary restriction isn’t enough to extend lifespan on its own.

Yellowstone Quakes Offer Clues to Finding Underground Life on Other Worlds

Austin Burgess·December 4, 2025

A recent study published in PNAS Nexus reports that a swarm of small earthquakes beneath Yellowstone National Park set off a burst of biological activity deep underground.

Forensic Investigators Using Cutting-Edge Science Have Finally Solved a Medieval Murder Mystery

Austin Burgess·December 3, 2025

Researchers have used cutting-edge forensic science to solve a medieval mystery that has perplexed scholars for more than a century.

Engineered ‘Nanopores’ Displayed Learning-Like Traits in Recent Breakthrough Experiments, Scientists Say

Austin Burgess·November 26, 2025

A team of researchers from EPFL has discovered that biological nanopores exhibit electrical signal responses that resemble learning-like behavior.

A Medieval Poem Misled Historians About the Black Death for Centuries—Scholars Now Reveal the “Spider’s Web” of Plague Myths

Austin Burgess·November 20, 2025

A new study in the Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies shows that a widely accepted belief about the Black Death’s rapid spread from Central Asia to the Mediterranean is not based on records or eyewitness accounts, but on a single medieval poem.

Could Toothpaste Made From Hair Help Teeth Regrow Enamel? Scientists Think So

Austin Burgess·November 19, 2025

Scientists at King’s College London have developed a sustainable biomaterial derived from hair that could help rebuild tooth enamel.

Lost for 3,000 Years, an Ancient Babylonian Hymn Has Been Restored Using Artificial Intelligence

Austin Burgess·November 18, 2025

A team of researchers has used artificial intelligence to restore a 3,000-year-old Babylonian hymn inscribed on cuneiform tablets.

Researchers Trace How a Psychedelic Compound Alters Brain Circuits Tied to Addiction

Austin Burgess·November 18, 2025

Scientists have identified a neural mechanism that could explain how a psychedelic compound reduces alcohol intake.

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.