A team of Japanese scientists discovered 303 new figures in the Pampa de Nazca, a region famous for its lines, such as the figures of the monkey and the spider. These new shapes, known as geoglyphs, were identified thanks to research conducted by the Nasca Institute of Yamagata University in collaboration with IBM Research. What's most surprising is that they found these geoglyphs using artificial intelligence, and the entire fieldwork took them only six months. With this discovery, the total number of geoglyphs in the Pampa de Nazca has almost doubled.
The results of the research were published in a major scientific journal. It mentions that many of the large figures represent wild animals and are drawn through straight lines and trapezoidal shapes.
These figures are interconnected, forming a kind of network across the ground of the Pampa de Nazca. Experts believe that these huge figures may have been used in rituals by ancient communities that lived in the area.
In addition to these large figures, the scientists also found smaller geoglyphs. These shapes depict images related to human life, such as people and domesticated camelids. Researchers think these smaller geoglyphs were located near pathways and trails, and that they were probably visible to people walking by or perhaps by small groups.
Since 2004, Yamagata University has been investigating the mysterious Nazca lines. Their goal is to better understand what these geoglyphs were used for and how they were created. To do this, they have used advanced technology, such as satellite images, drones, and aerial photos, which have allowed them to map an area of 400 square kilometers in the Pampa de Nazca.
The researchers noted that artificial intelligence has been key to speeding up and improving their work. Previously, the traditional method of visually searching for geoglyphs was very slow and didn’t always manage to identify all the figures.
Now, with the help of AI, they can find geoglyphs much faster and more accurately, allowing them to better understand this amazing, historically rich place.
Source: rpp.pe
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