A revolutionary new theory was born from those intense academic debates.

was 是 be 动词的过去式，表示被动或状态。 born 是动词 bear 的过去分词形式，bear 在这里表示"产生、带来"的意思。born 常用于表示"诞生、产生"的概念。 was born 构成被动语态，表示"被产生、诞生"的意思。