With the help of infra-red satellite images, researchers have discovered a mass of structures in Egypt, including 17 pyramids, the BBC reports. The satellite survey of the country also uncovered 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements. Excavations of the sites have already begun, confirming that two of the buried structures are, in fact, pyramids.
Orbiting 435 miles above Earth, the satellites that enabled the discoveries were equipped with cameras capable of identifying objects smaller than 1m in diameter on the earth’s surface. The infra-red images were used to highlight different materials under the surface. Because ancient Egyptians built their structures with mud bricks, a far denser substance than the surrounding soil, the researchers were able to decipher the underground buildings and tombs.
The groundbreaking archeological work was headed up by Egyptologist Dr. Sarah Parcak of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who told the BBC that she couldn’t believe all that search exposed.
“We were very intensely doing this research for over a year. I could see the data as it was emerging, but for me the ‘Aha!’ moment was when I could step back and look at everything that we’d found and I couldn’t believe we could locate so many sites all over Egypt.
“To excavate a pyramid is the dream of every archaeologist,” she said.
Parcak points out that, while the infra-red satellite imagery has already proven itself highly useful, further developments need to be made to uncover structures deeper beneath the surface.
“These are just the sites [close to] the surface. There are many thousands of additional sites that the Nile has covered over with silt. This is just the beginning of this kind of work.”
Parcak says that she hopes the advancements in technology will lure more young people into her field. She also says that the satellites have helped bring archeology into a new era, where discoveries can be made on a whole other level.
“It allows us to be more focused and selective in the work we do. Faced with a massive site, you don’t know where to start,” she said. “It’s an important tool to focus where we’re excavating. It gives us a much bigger perspective on archaeological sites. We have to think bigger and that’s what the satellites allow us to do.”
“Indiana Jones is old school, we’ve moved on from Indy, sorry Harrison Ford.”
To see more about the newly discovered pyramids, check out the BBC documentary “Egypt’s Lost Cities,” which follows Parcak as she unearths her massive find.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.