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When Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago, volcanic debris buried Pompeii and created a city forever frozen in time.
Researchers consider the doomed metropolis to be one of the most poignant archaeological sites in the world.
The well-preserved expanse of Pompeii holds a wealth of finds that continue to amaze archaeologists as more of the lost city is uncovered.
intact items such as chariots, frescoes and even graffiti have shed light on what ancient Roman life was like in the prosperous resort before the catastrophic event and provided evidence of when the eruption took place.
And now, researchers mining artifacts from the neighboring city of Herculaneum are using new technology to look beneath Vesuvius’ blanket of ash and mud to uncover more of history’s best-kept secrets.
Great
AI has uncovered the first nearly complete passages to be deciphered from the charred, fragile Herculaneum scrolls.
Hundreds of burnt papyrus scrolls that survived the eruption of Vesuvius at what experts believe was the home of Julius Caesar’s father-in-law look as if they could crumble at any moment.
But technological advances are making it possible to virtually unroll the scrolls for the first time since AD 79, allowing papyrologists to translate the words of the philosopher Philodemus.
“(In these passages) he persuades the people who are listening to kind of relax, find good company, spend their time living in the moment and enjoying pleasures,” said Roger Macfarlane, professor of classical studies at Brigham Young University.
ocean secrets
It is known as the most dangerous and terrifying part of the ocean.
Spanning 600 miles (965 kilometers) wide, the Drake Passage is wedged between South America and Antarctica.
Land masses help slow storms gathering force in the oceans. But there’s nothing to stop the screaming winds, towering waves and world’s most powerful storms brewing in the Drake’s deep waters.
The sea region’s underwater mountains attract the attention of scientists, and it’s a crossing that ship captains carrying tourists must make, and they do so with a healthy dose of fear.
fantasy creatures
A serene image of a polar bear napping on an iceberg off Norway’s Svalbard archipelago has won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award.
“Although climate change is the biggest challenge we face, I hope this photo also gives hope; British amateur photographer Nima Sarikhani, who took the image, said: “We still have time to fix the mess we caused.”
The winning photo will be exhibited at London’s Natural History Museum until June 30, along with finalist images showing a sweet moment of lion parenting and a moon jellyfish glowing under the northern lights.
curious things
Australian scientists have discovered an unlikely ally in their quest to track endangered species: spiders.
The fine webs spun by the eight-legged creatures not only trap prey such as flies, but the silky structures also trap environmental DNA.
When researchers collected spider webs from Western Australia’s Perth Zoo and Karakamia woodland sanctuary, they were able to identify genetic material from 93 animals.
“This cheap and non-invasive method, with only trace amounts of DNA needed to identify animals, could be a game-changer for how we discover and protect our terrestrial biodiversity,” said Joshua Newton, a PhD student in Curtin University’s School of Molecular and Science. Life Sciences.
Meanwhile, a new finding may explain why insects congregate under bright artificial lights at night; This is not because they are attracted to the glow like “moths to a flame.”
other worlds
Mimas, one of Saturn’s smallest moons, is known for a giant crater that gives the moon an uncanny resemblance to the Death Star in the “Star Wars” movies.
Now astronomers think the cratered ice pack orbiting Saturn holds a deep secret: a hidden ocean.
An international team of researchers analyzed data collected from NASA’s Cassini mission and noticed that Mimas’ spin and orbital motion varies over time, possibly due to the presence of a global ocean beneath its icy crust.
The research team was surprised to discover that the ocean is relatively young in astronomical terms, only 5 to 15 million years old. Mimas could change the way scientists understand ocean worlds in our solar system that may harbor life beyond Earth.
discoveries
Share these fascinating reads with your friends:
— Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient burial site during excavations in the heart of London, including a rare wooden bed used in a Roman burial.
— The PACE mission launched this week to study Earth’s “invisible universe” of microscopic marine life and atmospheric particles from space.
— A “super-Earth” orbiting in the habitable zone of a star 137 light-years away and evidence of a second Earth-sized planet have been detected.
— Researchers have found a new clue that sheds light on how microscopic tardigrades, also called tardigrades, can survive in some of Earth’s harshest environments.
— Wondering what April’s total solar eclipse will look like in your city? Check out our interactive map to see how much of the sun’s face will be blocked based on your location.
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