Science News Roundup: Robot built for Japan's aging workforce finds coronavirus role; Pandemic offers scientists unprecedented chance and more

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Robot built for Japan's aging workforce finds coronavirus role

Mira Robotics developed its "ugo" robot to reinforce greying Japan's shrinking workforce, but as the coronavirus threat persists, the Japanese startup is offering its machine as a tool in the fight against the outbreak, the company's CEO said. "The coronavirus has created a need for robots because they can reduce direct contact between people," Ken Matsui told Reuters at his company's workshop in Kawasaki, near Tokyo. "We've had inquiries from overseas, including from Singapore and France."

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.

Russia's space chief complains about American jokes

Americans should show more respect for Russia's space program after relying on it for nine years as the only way to send U.S. astronauts into orbit, the head of Russia's space agency said. The United States launched the first astronauts from U.S. soil since 2011 last month in a rocket built by SpaceX, the company of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. In the intervening years, Americans flying to the International Space Station relied on Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

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.