Sure, nothing can replace actual human archaeologists, but Boston Dynamics’ Spot was recently sent to the ancient ruins of Pompeii to inspect, gather and record data. More specifically, it helped identify structural and safety issues while also inspecting tunnels that were excavated by thieves looking for relics. To complement the robot dog, park authorities are using a flying laser scanner drone to perform 3D scans across the 163-acre site.
Archaeologists are using cosmic rays, or subatomic particles from space, to uncover a previously unknown void within the Great Pyramid of Giza. That’s right, they are imaging it with muons, which are basically high-energy byproducts of cosmic rays created when protons and other atomic nuclei strike the atmosphere. Since muons are approximately 207-times bigger than electrons, the negatively charged particles can travel through hundreds of meters of stone before being absorbed.
Archaeologists are currently hard at work restoring the fire-damaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, but this past week, they stumbled upon something quite peculiar. More specifically, various tombs and a sarcophagus concealed beneath the 850-year-old Gothic church. This discovery happened when they were installing ground-level scaffolding in their bid to help rebuild the church’s fallen spire, that is until they noticed that something was buried at the spot where the transept crosses the nave.