Science News Roundup: Pandemic offers scientists unprecedented chance to 'hear' oceans; Ground-penetrating radar reveals splendor of ancient Roman city and more

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Pandemic offers scientists unprecedented chance to 'hear' oceans as they once were

Eleven years ago, environmental scientist Jesse Ausubel dreamed aloud in a commencement speech: What if scientists could record the sounds of the ocean in the days before propeller-driven ships and boats spanned the globe? They would listen to chit-chat between blue whales hundreds of miles apart. They would record the familiar chirps and clicks among a pod of dolphins. And they would do so without the cacophony of humankind – and develop a better understanding of how that undersea racket has affected sea life.

Ground-penetrating radar reveals splendor of ancient Roman city

In a glimpse into the future of archeology, researchers have used ground-penetrating radar to map an entire ancient Roman city, detecting remarkable details of buildings still deep underground including a temple and a unique public monument. The technology was used at Falerii Novi, a walled city spanning 75 acres (30.5 hectares) about 30 miles (50 km) north of Rome, researchers said on Monday.