COSMIC DISCOVERY CONFERENCE

April 24-26, 2026 | Nashville, Tennessee
Revolutionary Discoveries that are Redefining Astrology

COSMIC DISCOVERY CONFERENCE

April 24-26, 2026 | Nashville, Tennessee
Revolutionary Discoveries that are Redefining Astrology

COSMIC DISCOVERY CONFERENCE

April 24-26, 2026 | Nashville, Tennessee
Revolutionary Discoveries that are Redefining Astrology

Where Astrology Meets Inquiry

Welcome to the Cosmic Discovery Conference—a gathering for those ready to test, explore, and evolve astrology. 

Hosted by the Cosmobiology Institute, this event invites critical thinkers, researchers, and visionaries to engage with astrology through an evidence-based lens

Cosmic Discovery Conference | April 24–26, 2026 | Embassy Suites Hotel | Nashville South Cool Springs 

Speakers and Presentations

Speakers and Presentations

Opening Session, Keynote:

Compatibility Reframed:
New Insights from Psychology and Evidence-Based Astrology

Psychologists have conducted extensive research on couples who are very happily married versus people whose marriages became acrimonious and failed. The results are surprising and contradict what many people believe and it contradicts the assumptions of many dating websites. 

Research on over 20,000 married couples with recorded times of birth also produced surprising results, and amazingly the psychological research and the astrological research come to similar conclusions. 

Here we see evidence-based astrology and modern psychology confirming each other’s results and producing findings that are very helpful to both psychologists and astrologers.

Research Terminology for Astrologers

An introductory session focused on foundational research terminology used in evidence-based astrology.

This session is free to all attendees of the conference.

Pre-Conference Workshop:

The Magic in Modern Science:
New Insights from Psychology and Evidence-Based Astrology

We often imagine science as cold, rational, and purely logical – a realm stripped of mystery or magic. But that story is incomplete.

In this workshop, Santino explores the hidden wonder within scientific discovery where breakthroughs often arrive.  Not through step-by-step reasoning, but like stumbling upon a magic potion on the road. Even the most grounded scientific ideas emerge in moments of awe, surprise, and intuition. He will deliver concrete examples of how great discoveries were born, and show you the process for creating your own magic formulas. 

Through the lens of evidence-based astrology and rigorous analysis, you’ll experience how science – at its best – is both precise and profoundly mysterious.
 
Join us for a journey that is equal parts logic and wonder.
 

Register for Pre-Conference Workshop ($50) 

Cosmic Discovery ConFerence Presentations

Astrological Patterns of the Mind:
Insights into Psychology

Angela shares the results of the most recent research studies that give high confidence that there are planetary configurations at the time of birth that are more likely for people who have been diagnosed with various psychological conditions.

Angela focuses on the most well-designed studies that use shuffled control groups and other carefully conducted procedures that make statistical artifacts unlikely. 

The Zodiac Under Scrutiny:
A Data-Driven Look at the Signs

by: Linda Berry, M.A., M.S.S.W.

Linda uses AI Large Language Models to analyze the biographies of people to see if the biographies of people with the most emphasis of a zodiac sign match the description of zodiac signs better than a control group that have no planets or the Ascendant in the zodiac sign.

This research puts astrology to the test to see if zodiac signs really do describe people better than is expected by random chance.

She also analyzes two descriptions of zodiac signs: a set of descriptions based on widespread ideas about zodiac signs that are endorsed by leading astrologers and meanings of the zodiac signs that emerged from research done by Santino Mancuso.

Linda’s research shows whether each of these sets of descriptions of zodiac signs work better than random chance.

Zodiac Signs in the Southern Hemisphere:
Surprising Findings

Aries is associated with the burst of energy of Spring, Taurus with plants becoming green and thriving in Spring, etc. However, the seasons are reversed in the Southern hemisphere so, for example, the Sun is in Aries when Autumn begins instead of when Spring begins.

Most astrologers do NOT flip the zodiac signs in the Southern hemisphere, but some astrologers argue that we should.

Vincent Godbout has conducted a sophisticated quantitative analysis of data that strongly suggests that the influence of zodiac signs differs between the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

Moments of Eruption:
Midpoint Patterns in School Shootings

by: Manda Selva, LCSW, C.A., NCGR-PAA

Manda Selva, LCSW, C.A., NCGR-PAACan midpoint structures in event charts reveal recurring symbolic signatures in collective acts of violence?

This presentation features a quantitative analysis of 134 school shootings in the United States and Canada (1970–2025) using midpoint analysis within a mundane astrology framework. Representing the culmination of many years of systematic midpoint testing, refinement, and methodological development, this study expands significantly on earlier exploratory research conducted with smaller datasets.

Building on those initial findings, the current investigation applies a more rigorous statistical design, incorporating stricter inclusion criteria, improved time verification, orb sensitivity testing, and control-group validation. By examining angular midpoint activations in event charts, the research tests whether specific midpoint–angle configurations occur more frequently in collective acts of violence than would be expected by chance alone.

Fixed Stars Revealed:
Moving Beyond the Archetypes

Starlene employs a research method that has been used very successfully in genetics research to find “a needle in a haystack”.

How do we begin to understand what a fixed star does in astrology when all we have is the anecdotal evidence of astrologers and traditional beliefs? This is similar to finding out which genes among millions are involved in a physical condition.

By very carefully using Extreme Case Sampling we are like explorers making a path through the jungle to develop ideas that have a much greater chance of being replicated in future studies. Starlene has been conducting this research for years and our confidence in the findings is improving with each new study.

We learn what the latest findings are and what the data is that supports these findings.

Cardiac Disease, Cancer and Suicide:
Astrology & Human Health

Christopher has conducted research on people with cancer.

He uses modern research methods that compare these people with a control group and both of them obtain results that strongly suggest that there really are astrological indicators of vulnerability to this disease.

Christopher’s findings confirm some ideas in modern western astrology.

by: Santino Mancuso, M.A.

Santino conducted an extensive and detailed study of athletic performance.

Using the Vibrational Astrology theoretical framework and careful implementation of modern research methods, Santino will describe the transit-to-natal planetary configurations that indicate when athletic performance is exceptionally good.

These planetary configurations are different from the kinds of planetary configurations that most astrologers use in their practice.

Celestial Thresholds:
Astrology at the End of Life

One use of astrology is to predict the likelihood of a particular event occurring. One of the most dramatic events in a person’s life is the end of life, i.e., death. In astrology Saturn is often associated with time, old age and death.

Is Saturn involved when a person dies?

Vincent has conducted an extremely thorough and sophisticated quantitative research study that shows clear indicators of death compared to the control group.

The results are fascinating. For example, the research indicates that secondary progressions are involved in determining when a person is more likely to die.

The Cosmic Mirror and Sexual Orientation:
Outer Planets & the Search for Authenticity

People who do not fit into the most common and socially accepted and socially endorsed behavior patterns often face a struggle to express themselves honestly. Social pressures can make it more difficult for them to feel comfortable with who they are and to be authentic.

Being gay is becoming more socially acceptable in some parts of the world but there is often still the struggle of “coming out” with one’s sexual orientation as parents and others may find it difficult to accept and support. Dr. Benton’s carefully conducted research ndicates that the interaction of Saturn and Chiron are involved in the challenges of being part of a marginalized group and the struggle to feel comfortable and content with one’s life.

Social pressures can make it more difficult for them to feel comfortable with who they are and to be authentic.

See You in Nashville, TN | April 24-26, 2026!

Santino Mancuso, MA — Research Codirector

Santino Mancuso, MA
Research Codirector

Santino Mancuso — received a BA Degree from SUNY Binghamton in 1972 and a MA Degree in Research and Evaluation Methodology from the University of Florida in 2018. In September, 1972 David started a lifelong non-stop passionate pursuit of the work of Theodor Landscheidt and others on a possible connection between the cosmos and human behavior. David’s book “The Astrology of Bipolar Disorder: A Scientific Breakthrough” describes the extremely comprehensive and through research that has elevates theories about a direct relationship of celestial phenomena with human behavior to an academic evidence-based discipline.

Christopher Benton, PhD — International Research Coordinator

Christopher Benton, PhD
International Research Coordinator

Christopher Benton has a doctorate in mathematics and has worked as a statistical consultant for the State of Texas. He also taught college-level mathematics, including statistics, abstract algebra, and multivariable calculus, for 38 years, worked as the Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research for his college for six years, and is a past-president of the Texas Association for Institutional Research. His interest in astrology started from an early age, and he has a passion for both mathematics and ancient wisdom. In true Gemini fashion, he has gone through several life adventures including dancing in a musical with Ginger Rogers, being a hippie in Austin, Texas, having a roommate who was a full-blood Kiowa medicine man, and studying rabbinic literature with a renowned Talmudic scholar. He published three statistical studies of astrology in Correlation in 2023 and 2024, and he has several more currently in progress. His goal is to expand the scope, scientific evidence, and understanding of evidence-based astrology until it is once again recognized as a serious, scientific discipline.

Angela McRae
Angela McRae, B.A. — Cosmobiology Institute President

Angela McRae — has a BA degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  She has worked in the live production industry for 22 years as a Technical Director and Project Manager.  Angela started her own business in 2016 in the same industry.  Her focus has been on helping some of the largest companies in the United States and abroad develop custom software applications that boost sales and customer engagement within their organizations.  Designing environments and a personalized user experience to allow for easy, enjoyable interactivity, while delivering measurable data, has been the driving force of the company.

Vincent Godbout, BSc — Research Codirector

Vincent Godbout, BSc
Research Codirector

Vincent Godbout holds a BSc degree in mathematics and a certificate in college education. From 1972 to 2006 he was a professor of mathematics. As a designer of the Permama master’s program of the Université du Québec, he co-authored three courses: Mathematics and Human Activity, Mathematical Contributions of Antiquity and Problem Solving. He is also the author of a French adaptation of the best seller Thomas and Finney’s Differential and Integral Calculus.

Vincent was a pioneer in introducing computerized calculations on correspondence of celestial events with human behavior in the 1970’s. More recently he has developed a software expert system, He has developed an analysis that he calls probabilistic semantics, and he published a paper about this in Considerations Magazine (Vol IV, No. 3). Vincent has also published 3 articles in Correlation magazine. His work as a mentalist from 2000 to 2017 has given him a keen appreciation for the distinction between cold readings and readings based on a hypothesized correspondence with astronomical phenomena.

Starlene Breiter, PAC — Promotion, Marketing, Website Development

Starlene Breiter, PAC
Promotion, Marketing, Website Development

Starlene Breiter developed a keen interest in Evidence-Based Astrology after completing an intensive educational program with Santino Mancuso. She has conducted an extensive and thorough research study on fixed stars in birth charts and in 2025 is conducting research on ADHD. Starlene also brings her skills in website development, marketing and education. She has created several websites and her expertise and experience with channels for promotion, social media, and with various business and productivity tools has helped Cosmobiology Institute move forward gracefully in the fast-paced world of digital tools and changing trends. Starlene has worked closely with Angela to successfully guide and direct the Cosmobiology Institute. Their service to the institute and to the larger community of people pursuing evidence-based astrology is enormous.