“Alarm Bells Went Off”: New Research Takes a Critical Look at the Landmark UFO Cult Study ‘When Prophecy Fails’
New research reexamines 'When Prophecy Fails,' the classic study of an American UFO cult, raising new questions about the work's claims.
Ryan Whalen
Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.
Musically Inspired Time-Rondeau Crystal Breakthrough Promises Quantum Technology That Stores Data Within Time Itself
Researchers at UC Berkeley have observed a time-rondeau crystal, where long-term temporal order coexists with short-term disorder.
“Tectonics, Climate, and Life Co-Evolved Through Deep Time”: How a Supercontinent Breakup Produced All Complex Life on Earth
All complex life on Earth may be the result of plate tectonics tearing apart the ancient supercontinent Nuna 1.5 billion years ago.
Satellite Communications Breakthrough Could Pave the Way Toward ‘Quantum Energy’
Researchers say once-impossible Earth-to-space quantum light transmissions are now a reality, paving the way toward ultra-secure satellite communications.
Scientists Discover Extremophiles Thriving in Blue ‘Volcanic Goo’ Deep in the Ocean
New research reveals that in some of the most inhospitable parts of the ocean depths, a blue volcanic mud contains evidence of extremophiles.
This Unexpectedly Massive Ancient Mayan Settlement May Have Been a “Cosmogram” Map of the Universe
An ancient Mayan monument found at Mexico’s Aguada Fénix site in 2020 has now been revealed by archaeologists as a cosmogram.
Fortune Favors the Aggressor: Research Says World Superpowers are Vulnerable to Cyber Warfare Attacks from Smaller Nations
In the wake of increasing state-directed cyberattacks, researchers have developed a model of cyber warfare that yields surprising conclusions.
“Magic-Angle” Graphene Superconductor Research May Herald “The Holy Grail of the Entire Field”
With a “magic-angle,” MIT researchers have discovered a new path to possible room temperature superconductivity.
Could Dark Matter Be Under the Influence of a Mysterious “Fifth Force”?
New research finally answers whether hypothetical dark matter follows the same behavior as regular matter, a long-standing mystery.
5,000-Year-Old Discovery at Canaanite Cult Site Dubbed “One of Very Few Known from Such an Ancient Period”
Artifacts uncovered near the Tel Megiddo archaeological site in Israel reveal an ancient Canaanite cult and its worship practices.
“Monster of the Earth”: Archaeologists Uncover Ceremonial Marker Revealing Royal Power at Maya Site
Archaeologists have made a discovery offering new insights into the political power and religious symbolism of the Maya Late Classic period.
Colossal Biosciences Advances Its De-Extinction Efforts with Acquisition of Cloning Company Viagen
Colossal Biosciences has expanded its efforts to save animals currently on the brink with its acquisition of the cloning company Viagen.
New Physics May Be Needed”: How a Gamma-Ray-Tracing Plasma Fireball Experiment at CERN Put Cracks in the Standard Model
Researchers at CERN may be on the verge of explaining the universe’s missing gamma rays and hidden magnetic fields.
Scientists Map the Colors of Life to Hunt for Potential Biosignatures on Alien Worlds
In the search for alien life, one Cornell researcher says color may be a telltale sign of biosignatures on far-off exoplanets.
Breakthrough Model Helps Scientists Identify Quantum ‘Doorway’ Needed for Electron Emission
Researchers from TU Wien have calculated the precise mechanisms of electron emission through a quantum door.
Major Paleontology Shake-Up Reveals ‘Teenage T. rex’ Wasn’t a Teen at All, Flipping “Decades of T. rex Research on Its Head”
A major shake-up in dinosaur paleontology reveals that what scientists have long called "Tyrannosaurus" is actually two species.
New Evidence Reveals Early Dark Energy May Have Had a Surprising Effect on Cosmic Expansion
Very early dark energy (vEDE) may have accelerated the universe’s expansion just 380,000 years after the Big Bang, new research suggests.
Warwick Researcher Revives Century-Old Math to Help Model Dangerous Nanoparticles
A University of Warwick researcher has developed a model for the movement of dangerous, irregularly shaped nanoparticles.
Ancient Solar Storms Played a Key Role in the Emergence of Life on Earth, New Study Suggests
New research reveals how powerful coronal mass ejections may have been essential to the rise of life on planet Earth.
“The Silent Strain We See Today Could Lead to Tomorrow’s Disasters”: India’s Sinking Cities Put Millions of Lives at Risk
India’s largest cities are sinking, which may lead to a future catastrophe with millions of lives and thousands of buildings at risk.
Unexpected Earth-Sized Exoplanets Discovered in Binary Star System “Test the Limits of Planet Formation Models”
A trio of newly discovered exoplanets is defying the expectation that binary systems are hostile to planet formation, according to an international team of researchers.
Physicists Revive a 19th-Century Theory of “Cosmic Knots” to Help Untangle the Mysteries of Dark Matter and Neutrinos
A long-dismissed theory involving "cosmic knots" could help explain the origins of neutrino masses, dark matter, and other mysteries.
Elusive ‘Alfvén Waves’ Have Been Discovered in the Sun’s Corona, Ending Nearly a Century of Searching
Scientists have finally discovered theoretical torsional Alfvén waves within the Sun’s corona, concluding a decades-long search.
“Nowhere Else Could We Have Achieved This”: This Physics Experiment Aboard the ISS Could Significantly Improve Spacecraft Safety
European researchers aboard the ISS are investigating the fundamental nature of condensation to mitigate hazards to spacecraft electronics.
Striking New Fossils From a Dinosaur “Mummy Zone” Helped Solve a Mystery More Than a Century in the Making
The preserved record of “dinosaur mummies” soft tissue discovered in Wyoming is shedding new light on what these creatures truly looked like.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Has Discovered Evidence of Unexpected Chaos in the Early Universe
New James Webb Space Telescope observations indicate that early galaxies were more chaotic than previous results suggested.
When the Mind Talks Back: Revealing Study Could Finally Reveal Why Schizophrenia Patients Hear Voices
New research indicates that schizophrenia’s auditory hallucinations may result from the brain failing to recognize its inner monologue.
The Brain’s Hidden Radar: How Theta Waves Sweep the Mind to Spot the Unexpected
Brainwaves scan the cerebral cortex like a radar system to bring attention to visual anomalies, according to new MIT research.
As the Arctic Melts, a Hidden Process Beneath the Ice Could Help Fight Climate Change
While the loss of Arctic Sea ice remains an impending climate disaster, the melting may give an unexpected boost to carbon-eating algae.
“What Is the Origin of the Waves?” Scientists Hunt the Source of Mysterious Ultra-Low Frequency Gravitational Signals
Ultra-low frequency nanohertz gravitational waves emanating from pulsars may be revealing the fabric of the universe.
Quantum ‘Time Reversal’ Breakthrough Doubles the Accuracy of Optical Clocks, May Advance the Quest for Dark Matter
MIT researchers unlock a hidden effect to stabilize optical clocks, which may help advance the search for elusive phenomena like dark matter.
Anomalous Discovery in Ancient Rocks Reveals Evidence of a 4.5-Billion-Year-Old “Proto Earth”
In a rare glimpse into the earliest days of our planet, scientists have discovered remnants of the “proto Earth.”
The South Atlantic Anomaly Is Growing—ESA Satellites Reveal New Concerns Over What That Could Mean for Spacecraft
New data from the European Space Agency’s Swarm satellite constellation reveals a dynamic shift in the South Atlantic Anomaly.
“This Contradicts a Rule in Chemistry”: Unexpected Discovery Reveals ‘Impossible’ Molecular Combinations Could Exist on Saturn’s Moon Titan
Impossible molecular combinations are possible on Saturn’s moon Titan, changing our understanding the potentially life-containing body.
“A New Era in Exploring Matter’s Most Extreme Frontier”: Aftermath of the Big Bang Revealed in Quark Gluon Plasma Experiments
Pushing scientists closer than ever to understanding the Big Bang, physicists have finally measured the temperature of quark-gluon plasma.
Study Reveals Lead Exposure May Have Shaped Ancient Human Brains, Driving the Struggle Between Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals
Research reveals that ancient Homo sapiens and Neanderthals encountered unexpected levels of lead exposure, shaping how our brains evolved.
“Drilling to This Depth is Unprecedented on Mars”: How the ESA’s New Robotic Rover Will Take the Search for Alien Life to New Depths
The quest for life on Mars will go deeper than ever before as the ESA prepares to deploy the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Rover in 2028.
‘Cyberdelics’ Enable Researchers to Produce Mind-Altering VR Hallucinations that Mimic the Effects of Psychedelic Drugs
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.
A Mysterious Warp at the Edge of the Solar System May Point to the Existence of a Hidden “Planet Y”
A strange tilt in the outer reaches of the Kuiper Belt has scientists wondering if the solar system is hiding a potential “Planet Y."
Generating Younger Versions of People’s Faces, This Digital ‘Mind Hack’ Allows Adults to Retrieve Lost Memories from Childhood
Human self-perception could be the key to retrieving the hidden memories of childhood amnesia, says new research.
NASA’s Artemis Mission May Encounter the Moon’s Hidden ‘KREEP,’ Challenging Our Understanding of Its Future Landing Site
New research forces scientists to reconsider the Moon’s South Pole-Aitken basin, the landing spot for NASA’s Artemis project.
Scientists Track Over a Thousand Martian Dust Devils, Revealing Hidden Wind Patterns Across the Red Planet
Martian dust devils that have long fascinated scientists have finally been cataloged and tracked, providing unexpected new insights into the climate on Mars.
“Exotic” Discovery Revealed in New Analysis of Apollo-Era Moon Samples is “Different from Anything We Find on Earth”
After half a century, samples collected during NASA’s 1972 Apollo Moon mission are still revealing new secrets about the lunar surface.
What One Bacteria’s Survival in a High-Stress Rocket Flight Means for Humans and the Search for ET
In a boon to human space travel, new research has shown that bacteria essential to our health can survive rocket launches and microgravity.
The “Tug of War” Secretly Driving Asteroid Behavior is Revealed in New ESA Gaia Research
Researchers working with data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission have developed a new understanding of how asteroids tumble.
Holographic Ultrasound Breakthrough Enables Scientists to Unlock a New Frontier in Brain Stimulation Research
An international team of researchers has developed a novel method of repurposing ultrasound technologies to manipulate neural activity.
A Massive Blind Spot in Gravitational Wave Research Has Now Been Filled, Setting the Pace for Future Discoveries
Researchers have unveiled a new technique for detecting gravitational waves, advancing the precision limits of current instrumentation.
Is the Search for Dark Matter a Cosmic Illusion? Physicists Take Up the Controversy
An astrophysicist proposes a new model of the universe without dark matter and energy, but is his radical idea based in fact?
ESA’s Cassini Spacecraft Makes a Discovery in Enceladus Ice Jets That “Enhances the Likelihood that the Moon is Habitable”
Pushing nearer to finding extraterrestrial life, the Cassini space probe observed new organic molecules coming from Enceladus’s ocean.
Astronomers Have Detected a Vast Wave Disturbing the Structure of the Milky Way Galaxy
The source of the Milky Way's strange wobble has finally been revealed, thanks to new data from the ESA's Gaia Space Telescope.