Must Reads

• Just weeks after announcing her retirement, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt — the longtime chaplain for Loyola Chicago's men's basketball team and March Madness darling — died Thursday at age 106
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• Trying to scale back on impulse purchases? Financial therapists offer their best tips​

Culture

Roman Emperors' Secret Tunnel in the Colosseum Is Now Open to the Public

It turns out ancient Roman emperors were big fans of a good ol' Irish exit — and now, you can experience what it was like to be one of these rulers leaving a gladiator fight. Dubbed the Commodus Passage after the real emperor portrayed in the movie Gladiator, a once-secret passageway that famous rulers used to sneak in and out of the Colosseum is now open to the public for the first time.
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The underground walkway, around 180 feet long and hidden from the prying eyes of crowds, was built through the foundations of the arena between the first and second centuries A.D. Remnants of stucco work depicting mythological visuals and scenes featuring bear fights and boar hunts are still visible, but the once-marble walls have been replaced with plaster. A video showing a virtual reconstruction of the corridor's original look will be on display to offer visitors a peek at what it once was.
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Discovered in the 1800s, the passageway, which ends at the emperor's box on the arena's south side, was named after Commodus because of historical accounts positing that the ruler used it to survive an assassination attempt. The Archaeological Park of the Colosseum said in a statement that the passage opening allows visitors to see "a place so fascinating for its history, its architecture, and, not least, its decorative apparatus, which was for exclusive use and hidden from the public during the time of the emperors."

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Tech

Teen's Award-Winning Robot Turtle Could Help Underwater Ecosystems Thrive

It's shaped like a turtle and swims like a turtle — but it's actually a bionic robot. Evan Budz, a 15-year-old resident of Ontario, Canada, recently won a first-place prize in the European Union Contest for Young Scientists 2025 for his invention of an autonomous bionic sea turtle robot.
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The (adorable) device was developed to monitor and detect threats in underwater ecosystems, such as coral bleaching and invasive species. It uses an AI computer vision imaging system and can evaluate coral health with 96% accuracy. Evan told CBC News he hopes the bot will empower organizations "to identify where these threats may be occurring, increasing awareness and supporting efforts to increase the overall health of impacted areas."
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But why the turtle-like design? Evan said in a video that he was inspired after witnessing the "fluent motion of a snapping turtle while camping." Instead of building a traditional propeller-based system, Evan saw potential in a different type that mimicked turtle movements. So he custom-designed a propulsion system using servo motors, along with 3D-printed front and rear flippers that he tested in his grandparents' backyard pool. See an animation of the robot in action.​

Environment

England's Oldest Working Windmill Is Still Making Flour Like It's 1770

Plenty of hip bakeries these days are leaning into heritage wheat flours and other ancient grain varieties, but it'd be hard to top the historic value of the flour being milled at the Holgate Windmill. Nestled in a suburb of York, England, the brick tower mill is the oldest working windmill of its kind in the country, still grinding grain as it did 255 years ago.
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Since it was built in 1770, the surrounding area has changed quite a bit — there's now a roundabout, housing development, and cars. Yet the historic structure remains much as it ever was, thanks to a preservation society of about 40 volunteers who worked for 10 years to restore the mill starting in 2001, as well as revive the rare (and meticulous) craft of producing flour by windmill.
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"It is a dying art in many ways, and if we weren't doing it, in a couple of years there may be no one left who knows how to," Steve Potts, a trustee of the group and its head miller, told SWNS. "Our plan is to keep its legacy going forever." Learn the structure's history and take a virtual tour of the windmill.​

In Other News

1. An atmospheric scientist and a cartographer are among this year's MacArthur Fellows — see the full list (read more)
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2. This 2nd-century Roman tombstone was uncovered in a New Orleans backyard, launching an international investigation (read more)
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3. Prima ballerina Misty Copeland is taking her final plié with the American Ballet Theater later this month (read more)
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4. Hip-hippo-hooray! The Berlin Zoo welcomed a baby calf, the first from 13-year-old hippo Nala: Meet the duo (read more)
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5. Two medallions and 11 rings thought to be from the Middle Ages were found at a Canadian thrift shop (read more)

Inspiring Story

Boosting test scores and confidence

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When Benjamin Honoroff became the principal of a Brooklyn middle school a decade ago, the institution was on a list of "persistently dangerous schools." So Honoroff took an unusual approach — he integrated debate into every class (even math) and expanded the debate team. Fast forward to today: Enrollment has increased, proficiency and test scores have climbed, and last June, his eighth graders won a national championship in policy debate. "I felt like it kind of gave us an edge when we went to tournaments because we were kind of already used to it," team member Erick Williams said, adding, "It felt like a journey worth taking."

Photo of the Day

This conservation win is as significant as it is adorable: Four fossa pups were born at England's Chester Zoo in July, the first of their kind in the U.K. and one of only three litters born in European zoos this year. Fossas are sleek, cat-like mammals with excellent night vision, and the largest natural predator in Madagascar. Fewer than 2,500 currently remain in the wild, but an international breeding program that Chester Zoo is part of is pushing to change that. Watch a video of the tiny pups.​

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Odds & Ends

⏺️ Tour this shrine of button-covered objects
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🎂 A sweet baker celebrating his unhoused neighbors
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🏞️ Adorable pine martens are feeling out their new digs
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🎃 How did we become so passionate about pumpkins?
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Quote of the Day

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them."

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– HENRI MATISSE