The ritual-based site may predate Maya rulers ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
November 6, 2025—Archeologists discover an ancient Mayan cosmic map. Plus, vibe coding to create AI tools and the brightest black hole burst ever recorded. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | The central street of the ancient Roman city of Scythopolis in what is today Israel. kolderal/Getty Images | | A cross-shaped pit found at the Aguada Fénix site in Mexico after excavation. Takeshi Inomata | | In southern Mexico, archaeologists uncovered a massive cross-shaped pit beneath Aguada Fénix—one of the largest and oldest known Maya sites. Using light detection and ranging technology along with excavations carried out between 2020 and 2024, they found that the pit aligns with giant canals extending toward the four cardinal directions. Inside, they discovered traces of blue azurite to the north, green malachite to the east, and yellow ochre to the south, along with marine shells mixed with axe-shaped clay offerings to the west. | | Pigments of blue azurite, green malachite and yellow ochre respectively mark north, east and south, and marine shells and axe-shaped clay offerings mark west. Takeshi Inomata | | What it means: The team found no palaces, royal tombs, or elite residences at the site. Combined with the ritual evidence, this led them to believe that Aguada Fénix served as a cosmogram—a monumental map of the universe carved into the landscape and used by Mesoamerican civilizations to express their understanding and connection to the cosmos.
What the experts say: Researchers also found that the site and cosmogram were built before the rise of Maya hierarchy, which scholars often thought was the driving force behind monumental architecture like pyramids. The discovery, they say, challenges long-held assumptions about Maya social organization and what fueled their monumental architecture. Instead of orders from a ruling class, "religion was very important and motivated people to do this huge work," says archeologist and co-author Takeshi Inomata. —Humberto Basilio, News Intern | | | Tailored Learning with AI | Arlyn Gajilan wanted to help her son with his dyslexia. Despite a special school, tutors and speech therapy, nothing seemed to be working for Tobey. So Gajilan, a journalist at Reuters, with no computer coding ability or background, turned to AI. She found a specialized GPT model and, after confirming the data would be private, fed it Tobey's report cards, neuropsychological evaluations and individualized education programs for his dyslexia. The AI created a learning program based on Tobey's interests (dragons, Nerf guns, the musical Hamilton) and helped him with writing skills through games and fun activities. How it works: Gajilan used so-called vibe coding to create the platform. Vibe coding is telling an AI chatbot what you want it to program and it translates that wish into computer code. Gajilan used this method to refine the tool with the AI, making it more gamelike, or tweaking the code so the program detects when the student is getting frustrated or losing interest. During the process of building the tool, Gajilan filed two patents for an algorithm she developed. Why this is interesting: A growing body of research is finding that AI systems could be powerful tools for learning. Gajilan named her platform Tobey's Tutor and it, and many other AI tools like it, could spark an interest in learning in other students, says Scott Gaynor, head of the Stephen Gaynor School, the Manhattan private school that Tobey attends. "This is where AI and a program like Tobey's Tutor come in because it creates high-interest, tailored questions for that student." | | | | |
- Ecologist Mei Lin Neo studies how marine invertebrates such as sea urchins (Salmacis sphaeroides) react to changes in their environments. The organisms her group studies also act as guards against extinction—if an event such as disease ravages wild populations, Neo is confident they could renew the natural stock. "People don't realize how charismatic a seemingly static marine animal can be," she says. "I want to champion lesser-known marine species." Nature | 3 min read
| | In recent years, discoveries across the Maya world have come fast and deep—from the newly uncovered cosmic map at Aguada Fénix to vast hidden cities revealed by laser scans of the Guatemalan rainforest, and the tomb of Caracol's first known ruler, still adorned in jadeite and obsidian. Each discovery reveals not a lost world, but a complex and ingenious society whose grasp of art, astronomy and engineering still humbles us today. | | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor
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