Scientists used AI to find 303 never-before-seen geoglyphs in Peru's Nazca Desert

By Harry Baker published 16 hours ago

Scientists used AI to find 303 never-before-seen geoglyphs in Peru's Nazca Desert, including abstract humanoid figures, ancient ceremonies, "decapitated heads" and a "killer whale holding a knife."



An aerial photo of a strange fish-like creature drawn in lines in the ground
A 72-foot-long "killer whale holding a knife" was one of the standout geoglyphs identified in the new study. (Image credit: Masato Sakai)

Scientists have discovered more than 300 never-before-seen Nazca Lines in Peru — including alien-looking humanoid figures, decapitated heads, potential historic ceremonies and a surprisingly well-armed orca.

The staggering new haul was unearthed in just six months with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and almost doubles the number of known geoglyphs in the region.

The Nazca Lines are a group of large human-carved geoglyphs located in a roughly 170-square-mile (440 square kilometers) area of Peru's Nazca Desert. The ancient artworks were likely created between 200 B.C. to A.D. 500 by members of the pre-Incan civilization, known as the Nazca (or Nasca), who removed the upper layers of the desert's red-tinged surface pebbles to reveal sections of lighter soil in a wide range of different shapes and sizes.

Researchers had already found around 430 Nazca Lines since the mysterious shapes were rediscovered by airplane passengers in the 1920s. Most of these geoglyphs were identified in the last 20 years thanks to advancements in imagery. However, the rate at which new lines are being discovered has started to slow, and researchers suspect that any remaining shapes are too faint to be easily spotted by the human eye.



Some of the most interesting geoglyphs found by AI include bizarre humanoid figures, decapitated heads, domesticated animals, whales, birds, cats and ancient human ceremonies. (Image credit: Sakai et al.)

More:
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/knife-wielding-orca-and-alien-looking-figures-among-300-nazca-lines-discovered-in-groundbreaking-ai-study