NASA, lasers, the rainforest canopy and Maya ruins sound like the ingredients for the next Hollywood blockbuster.

The list actually describes a University of Central Florida study under way in Belize that promises to revolutionize archaeology thanks to the latest technology. Researchers are using LiDAR remote sensing to unlock the secrets of the Maya hidden by forest canopy.

“The lasers we’re using to map the ruins have never been used before,” said UCF archaeologist Arlen Chase. “And it’s going to make a world of difference because traditional methods of mapping are very time consuming, very laborious and very slow.”

http://news.ucf.edu/UCFnews/index?page=article&id=00240041a0ca090119cd98901306f35&mode=news

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 11th, 2008 at 5:26 pm and is filed under History & Archeology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.