Science Daily

1. Monumental Roman basin hidden for 2,000 years unearthed near Rome

   Archaeologists excavating the ancient Roman city of Gabii have uncovered a massive stone-lined basin that may represent one of Rome’s earliest monumental civic structures. Its central placement hints that early Romans were already experimenting with dramatic public spaces centuries before the iconic Forum took shape. The site’s remarkable preservation—made possible because Gabii was abandoned early—offers an unprecedented look at how Romans adapted Greek architectural ideas into powerful symbols of politics, ritual, and identity.

2. A tiny ocean worm just revealed a big secret about how eyes evolve

   Scientists found that adult bristleworm eyes grow continuously thanks to a rim of neural stem cells similar to those in vertebrate eyes. This growth is surprisingly regulated by environmental light via a vertebrate-like c-opsin. The discovery reveals deep evolutionary parallels between distant species and raises questions about how light shapes nervous systems beyond vision. It hints at hidden complexity in creatures long assumed to be simple.

3. A hidden Antarctic shift unleashed the carbon that warmed the world

   As the last Ice Age waned and the Holocene dawned, deep-ocean circulation around Antarctica underwent dramatic shifts that helped release long-stored carbon back into the atmosphere. Deep-sea sediments show that ancient Antarctic waters once trapped vast amounts of carbon, only to release it during two major warming pulses at the end of the Ice Age. Understanding these shifts helps scientists predict how modern Antarctic melt may accelerate future climate change.

4. Satellites spot rapid “Doomsday Glacier” collapse

   Two decades of satellite and GPS data show the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf slowly losing its grip on a crucial stabilizing point as fractures multiply and ice speeds up. Scientists warn this pattern could spread to other vulnerable Antarctic shelves.

5. New research reveals the hidden organism behind Lake Erie’s toxic blooms

   Dolichospermum, a type of cyanobacteria thriving in Lake Erie’s warming waters, has been identified as the surprising culprit behind the lake’s dangerous saxitoxins—some of the most potent natural neurotoxins known. Using advanced genome sequencing, researchers uncovered that only certain strains produce the toxin, and that warmer temperatures and low ammonium levels may tip the ecological balance in their favor.