EXCLUSIVE - Mysterious symbols spanning the globe hint at a lost civilization 38,000 years ago

• READ MORE: Origins of Egypt's Great Pyramid upended as new clues point to lost civilization from 20,000 years ago 

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

For centuries, mainstream archaeologists have dismissed the idea that an advanced civilization existed long before modern times.

Now, an independent researcher claims he has uncovered 'paradigm-shifting evidence of a lost civilization' that hid a sophisticated code through geometry, symbolism, and monument design across the globe to preserve its knowledge ahead of catastrophic events.

Matthew LaCroix told Daily Mail the discovery, sparked by a recent find in Egypt, links symbols across continents and dates back 38,000 to 40,000 years.

According to LaCroix, this civilization tracked cosmic cycles, anticipated global disasters, and embedded teachings about human origins, the structure of the universe, and divine existence into monuments and sacred sites.

His investigation began after identifying recurring giant T-shapes, three-level indents, and step pyramids carved into ancient stones worldwide.

'These specific symbols that are built in different size proportions, and the symbols are found in ancient stones around the world, are not supposed to exist; no cultures are supposed to have any cross-platform,' LaCroix explained.

The symbols appear in locations ranging from Turkey's Van region to South America and Cambodia.

According to LaCroix, the origin of this global system lies in eastern Turkey's Lake Van region at a site known as Ionis. 

He described it as the earliest source of the civilization's symbols, architecture, and teachings, dating it to around 40,000 years old. He argues it preserves the original blueprint later carried to places such as Giza and Tiwanaku.

The investigation began after finding recurring giant T-shapes (pictured), three-level indents and step pyramids carved into ancient stones worldwide, patterns he said should not exist across unrelated cultures, suggesting a shared origin rather than independent development.

The symbols appear in locations ranging from Turkey's Van region to South America and Cambodia

Recurring motifs, giant T-shapes, step pyramids, inverted pyramids, lions, and sacred geometry, appear at Ionis in their most concentrated form before repeating at distant sites worldwide, LaCroix added.

Nearby, the site of Kefkalesi provides one of the clearest examples of these symbols in stone.

The four-foot-by-four-foot basalt carving, known as the Kefkalesi relief, contains complex iconography that mirrors the symbols found at Ionis, Giza, and South American sites.

'This relief became one of the most important artifacts for my research,' LaCroix explained. 'It connects Egypt back to this region and lets us back-engineer the global pattern.'

He pointed out repeating motifs: 'Here are the T-shapes, repeating over and over. Here's your step pyramid with three doors and the lion right here. These same elements appear repeatedly across sites worldwide.'

Regarding the lion, he added, 'The lion is a guardian, and its placement helps explain the structure of the code.'

LaCroix said the relief solidified his interpretation of the symbols and accelerated his analysis of similar structures at the Sphinx Temple in Egypt.

Mainstream archaeologists, however, date known Lake Van sites to the Urartian period thousands of years ago and say there is no evidence supporting a pre-Ice Age global civilization, and no peer-reviewed research currently supports LaCroix’s proposed dating.

Another nearby site, Kefkalesi, provides one of the clearest examples of these recurring symbols in stone. Circled are step pyramids. The top is pointing to an inverted pyramid, and the center is highlighting a T

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The image, which shows the Sphinx Temple located in front of the statue and closed to the public, revealed what he believes is an inverted step pyramid embedded in the structure

His breakthrough moment came in November 2025, when he re-examined a framed photograph of Egypt's Sphinx Temple he had owned for eight years.

The image, which shows the Sphinx Temple in front of the statue and closed to the public, revealed what he believes is an inverted step pyramid embedded in the structure.

'There, in front of me. It was like I had never seen it before. There was the inverted step pyramid, but the right side had been broken off,' he said.

That realization prompted LaCroix to analyze the entire Giza Plateau, where he identified repeated appearances of inverted step pyramids and giant T-shapes in the Sphinx Temple, Valley Temple and the mortuary temples of Khafre and Menkaure.

Some researchers have suggested the Sphinx was originally carved as a lion before later being reworked with the face of a pharaoh, though the theory is not accepted among mainstream archaeologists.

Using astronomical precession, a slow wobble in Earth's axis, and the Sphinx's proposed alignment with the constellation Leo, LaCroix narrowed the construction date to either around 12,000 years ago, near the end of the last Ice Age, or 38,000 years ago, one full precessional cycle earlier.

He dismissed the younger date, citing theories of catastrophic flooding that would have destroyed surface structures, and instead placed the Great Pyramids, Sphinx, and Valley Temple at roughly 38,000 years old.

Matthew LaCroix (right) told Daily Mail the discovery, sparked by a recent find in Egypt, links symbols across continents and dates back as far as 38,000 to 40,000 years ago. Pictured is a T-shaped symbol at the center of the stone slab

LaCroix said the same architectural layout also appears in South America at Tiwanaku and Puma Punku.

'The temple layout of the Acapana Pyramid, which is in Tiwanaku, is the exact same shape as the stone in those designs themselves, as the temple layout,' he explained.

LiDAR scans of Puma Punku revealed a massive T-shaped design, which LaCroix says reinforces his theory of a shared architectural template. 

'So, Fumapunku and Tiwanaku are like a mirror of Egypt in South America,' he said.

He also identified step pyramid designs inside the mortuary temples of Khafre and Menkaure (left)

The patterns he said should not exist across unrelated cultures, suggesting a shared origin rather than independent development

He also suggested that the lost civilization's messages were to tell humanity about the universe. The left symbolized the underworld, the center for reality andthe  right signified the spiritual world

At the center of LaCroix's interpretation is what he calls a cosmogram, an ancient geometric model representing the structure of the universe.

According to LaCroix, symbols such as three-level step pyramids, inverted pyramids, and T-shapes encode layered realities: the non-physical underworld, the physical realm, and the celestial realms.

'The left door represents the realm of reality called the underworld, or non-physical realm of reality,' he explained. 'Its counter, on the opposite, is the right door, which is the celestial realms of reality, where the angels are.'

The central vertical axis of the T symbol represents the 'middle door' that balances the system, a concept often referred to in ancient cosmology as the axis mundi, or central point connecting all realms.

'They're showing us how all of reality works, and how it all balances,' LaCroix said.

He tied this framework to preserved Egyptian traditions, particularly Hermeticism, an ancient spiritual and philosophical system attributed to Hermes Trismegistus that emphasizes humanity's connection to the cosmos, the divine, and hidden knowledge.

LaCroix believes the ancient code was deliberately hidden to preserve knowledge humanity later inverted.

Speaking philosophically, he added: 'Guess what, spoiler alert, we're doing everything basically the inverse opposite of what we're supposed to,' he warned.

He said the evidence suggests humans were once understood as divine and interconnected with all existence.

'We have ancient proof that shows that we're a divine being that's connected to the all, and a part of everything... we're supposed to be living in harmony with the Earth and the universe,' LaCroix said.

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‘Discovery of the Decade’: 1,400-Year-Old Zapotec Tomb Found in Mexico

Archaeologists were deployed following anonymous reports of looting, managing to secure the structure just in time. Dating back to approximately 600 AD, the tomb originates from the zenith of the Zapotec civilization.

President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo confirmed the news on January 23, 2026, highlighting that the discovery resulted from an emergency rescue operation by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). Archaeologists were deployed following anonymous reports of looting, managing to secure the structure just in time. Dating back to approximately 600 AD, the tomb originates from the zenith of the Zapotec civilization.

The site’s most striking feature is the colossal owl sculpture guarding the antechamber. While the bird traditionally symbolized night and death in Zapotec cosmology, this specific piece holds a unique secret: its beak opens to reveal the stuccoed face of a high-ranking dignitary, likely the ancestor to whom the mausoleum was dedicated.

A Window into the ‘Cloud People’

The tomb’s interior reads like an open book on the social structure of the Zapotecs, known historically as the “Cloud People.” The threshold is guarded by stone lintels carved with calendrical names—a complex system linking leaders to their birth dates and the deities governing their destiny. Beyond the entrance, the walls are covered in polychrome murals in shades of ochre, red, green, and blue, depicting a solemn funeral procession.

In these frescoes, ancestral figures are shown carrying bags of copal, the sacred resin used to guide souls into the afterlife. The quality of the pigments is so exceptional that technical details have survived intact for fourteen centuries, offering a rare and precious glimpse into the rituals of the elite who ruled this region long before the arrival of Europeans.

Because these fragile scenes are threatened by penetrating plant roots and environmental shifts, an interdisciplinary team from the INAH Oaxaca Center has been urgently mobilized. Specialists are currently working to stabilize the walls and analyze recovered skeletal remains, hoping to finally identify the individuals interred within this palatial complex.

This conservation effort does more than protect priceless heritage from illicit trafficking; it restores a key piece of Mexico’s past. By rescuing the tomb at Huitzo, science is not merely recovering objects, but reviving the memory of a civilization whose social and artistic complexity continues to dazzle the world

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Overview

The Piri Re’is map, drawn in 1513 by Ottoman admiral‑cartographer Piri Re’is, has resurfaced as one of the early‑modern period’s most debated cartographic artifacts. Rediscovered in 1929 during renovations at Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace, only a third of the original gazelle‑skin parchment survives, showing the western coast of Europe, North Africa, parts of the Atlantic, and a surprisingly detailed stretch of South America’s eastern shoreline. The map’s precision—especially along the Brazilian coast—has sparked scholarly debate over whether it reflects advanced 16th‑century navigation, the reuse of older source material, or something more speculative.

Public domain picture

Discovery and Provenance

Piri Re’is, an Ottoman admiral who also served as a navigator and cartographer, recorded in marginal notes that his map synthesized about 20 earlier charts, ranging from ancient Greek maps to Arab and Portuguese charts, and even a map attributed to Christopher Columbus. The surviving fragment was found hidden behind a wall in the Topkapi Palace, preserved on delicate gazelle skin. “The parchment’s condition suggests it was valued enough to be stored securely, yet it was eventually forgotten until the palace’s 20th‑century restoration,” notes Dr. Leyla Şahin, a historian of Ottoman maritime science at Boğaziçi University.

What Makes the Map Extraordinary

The most striking feature is the accuracy of the South American coastline. The Brazilian shore is rendered with a level of detail that rivals maps produced decades later, prompting speculation that Piri Re’is accessed source material far more precise than the typical Portuguese or Spanish charts of his day. Additionally, the map includes a southern landmass that some early 20th‑century writers, most famously Charles Hapgood, interpreted as an ice‑free Antarctica. Hapgood argued that this depiction could be evidence of a lost civilization possessing global geographic knowledge. Modern cartographers, however, point out that the shape aligns more closely with an exaggerated extension of South America—a distortion common in early portolan charts, which prioritized coastal navigation over accurate inland projection.

Public domain picture

Scholarly Controversies

The Antarctica hypothesis remains the map’s most sensational claim. Proponents cite the landmass’s outline and its apparent lack of separation from South America as clues to a pre‑Ice‑Age, ice‑free continent. Critics counter that geological evidence shows Antarctica has been ice‑covered for at least 34 million years, far predating any known human civilization. Dr. Michael O’Leary of the University of Cambridge argues, “When you overlay a 16th‑century portolan onto a modern globe, the inevitable projection errors can make unrelated coastlines appear connected.”

Beyond Antarctica, fringe theories suggest the map proves ancient global exploration or the survival of advanced knowledge from the Library of Alexandria. Mainstream historians dismiss these ideas as speculative, emphasizing the map’s own admission of composite sourcing. “Piri Re’is was transparent about using multiple, unevenly accurate charts,” says Şahin. “The resulting inconsistencies are expected when you stitch together data from different eras and cultures.”

Implications for Cartographic History

Regardless of the more exotic interpretations, the Piri Re’is map offers valuable insight into Ottoman engagement with worldwide maritime knowledge. Its blend of Mediterranean, Arab, and early Atlantic sources illustrates a sophisticated network of information exchange long before the era of standardized global mapping. The map also underscores the importance of portolan chart traditions, which could achieve remarkable coastal accuracy without modern longitude measurements—a testament to the skill of early navigators. As researchers continue to digitize and compare the surviving fragment with contemporary charts, the map remains a focal point for understanding how early modern empires synthesized and transmitted geographic data across cultural boundaries.

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Lost tomb of the mysterious 'cloud people' unearthed after 1,400 years in 'discovery of the decade'

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

It has been hailed as 'the most significant archaeological discovery in a decade.'

Archaeologists in Mexico have uncovered a 1,400-year-old tomb in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca that had been lost to history.

The stone structure, built by the Zapotec culture, known as Be'ena'a, or 'The Cloud People', is adorned with sculptures, murals and carved symbols that suggest ritual significance.

The Zapotec believed their ancestors descended from the clouds and that, in death, their souls returned to the heavens as spirits.

At the entrance sits a massive carved owl, its open beak revealing the face of a Zapotec lord, a symbol the National Institute of Anthropology and History said represented death and power.

The doorway is framed by a stone threshold and lintel, above which a frieze of engraved slabs displays ancient calendrical names.

Flanking the entrance are carved figures of a man and woman wearing headdresses and holding ritual objects, likely guardians of the tomb.

Inside the burial chamber, preserved sections of a vibrant mural remain intact, showing a procession of figures carrying bundles of copal as they move toward the tomb's entrance.

Archaeologists in Mexicohave uncovered a 1,400-year-old tomb in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca that had been lost to history

At the entrance sits a massive carved owl, its open beak revealing the face of a Zapotec lord

Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, said: 'It is the most important archaeological discovery of the last decade in Mexico due to its level of preservation and the information it provides.'

The Zapotecs have a history spanning over 2,500 years. 

They established a major pre-Columbian civilization centered at Monte Albán, which featured advanced agriculture and writing.

The Zapotec civilization mysteriously declined in the area around 900 AD.

However, the people did not completely disappear, as there are at least 400,000 living today.

Mexico's Secretary of Culture, Claudia Curiel de Icaza, said the 'exceptional discovery' of the tomb was due to its preservation. 

She added that it reveals how the Zapotec culture was a social organization with funerary rituals.

'It is a compelling example of Mexico's ancient grandeur, which is now being researched, protected, and shared with society,' she continued.  

The stone structure, built by the Zapotec culture, known as Be'ena'a, or 'The Cloud People', is adorned with sculptures, murals and carved symbols that suggest ritual significance

Pictured is the giant owl above the tomb's entrance

An interdisciplinary team from the INAH Oaxaca Center is currently working to conserve and protect the tomb, focusing on stabilizing the fragile mural painting. Experts say the mural’s condition is delicate due to root growth, insect activity, and sudden shifts in temperature and humidity.

At the same time, researchers are conducting ceramic, iconographic and epigraphic studies, along with physical anthropology analyses, to better understand the rituals, symbols and funerary practices connected to the tomb.

In 2024, archaeologists announced the discovery of tunnels that the ancient Zapotec civilization believed to be the 'entrance to the underworld' had been found beneath a centuries-old church.

Mitla, meaning place of the dead, was a city in southern Mexico known for its association with Pitao Bezelao, the Zapotec god of death.

But the Spanish arrived in the 16th Century and razed the city, building a church on the ruins of its most important temple.

A priest later wrote that 'the back door of hell' lay under the city – huge caverns believed to be the entrance to the Zapotec underworld.

But they were walled up, he said, and later excavations failed to find anything matching the scale of his description – until now.

Using non-invasive techniques, archaeologists recently revealed a series of chambers and tunnels beneath the city.

Five different sets of ruins were probed: the church group, the arroyo group, the adobe group, the south group, and the group of the columns.

Pictured is the face of the Zapotec god inside the owl's mouth

In 2024, archaeologists announced the discovery of tunnels that the ancient Zapotec civilization believed to be the 'entrance to the underworld' had been found beneath a centuries-old church 

Using non-invasive techniques, archaeologists recently revealed a series of chambers and tunnels beneath the city

Marco Vigato, founder of the ARX Project, which is leading the search, said: 'Some of the tunnels and chambers extend to a considerable depth, in excess of 50 feet.

The underground tunnels were revealed using a combination of ground penetrating radar, electric resistivity tomography, and seismic noise tomography. 

The first method uses radar waves to model the subsurface, while the second detects buried structures by measuring the flow of electricity through the earth.

Instead of electricity, the final method measures the speed at which seismic waves move through the ground.

Just how old the tunnels are is yet to be established.

'Natural caves in the area of Mitla have been occupied and partially modified by humans for thousands of years,' Vigato said:

'The earliest evidence of crop domestication in the area of Mitla dates back almost 10,000 years.

'There is no indication at the moment as to the possible age of the tunnels under the church or the other groups of structures at Mitla.

'They may have been created by the Zapotecs, or they could be much older.'

He added: 'The findings from the geophysical scans will have to be confirmed with archaeological methods.

'This could determine the nature of the cavities identified under the site and whether they contain any artifacts of archaeological significance.'

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The footprints that rewrite the evolution of flight: Ancient tracks suggest birds could be 60 MILLION years older than thought

• READ MORE: Evolution debate reignited after 'missing human link' is found

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

A new AI app is helping to rewrite the evolution of flight. 

The app, developed by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, has been used to analyse footprints made by dinosaurs more than 200 million years ago.

The results show that several tracks share 'uncanny' features with both extinct and modern birds. 

According to the researchers, this suggests that birds could have originated 60 million years earlier than we thought. 

'This study is an exciting contribution for paleontology and an objective, data–driven way to classify dinosaur footprints – something that has stumped experts for over a century,' said Professor Steve Brusatte, an author of the study. 

'It opens up exciting new possibilities for understanding how these incredible animals lived and moved, and when major groups like birds first evolved. 

'This computer network might have identified the world's oldest birds, which I think is a fantastic and fruitful use for AI.'

A new AIapp is helping to rewrite the evolution of flight. The app, developed by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, has been used to analyse footprints made by dinosaurs more than 200 million years ago

While dinosaur footprints are an important indicator of our evolution, they've proved difficult to interpret. 

Until now, scientists have largely relied on manual methods, which introduce an element of bias. 

To rectify this issue, the team developed a new AI app dubbed the DinoTracker, which uses advanced algorithms to recognise dinosaur footprints. 

To train the app, the researchers fed it nearly 2,000 fossil footprints alongside millions of variations to mimic changes such as compression and edge displacement. 

Amazingly, tests have revealed that DinoTracker can now identify dinosaur footprints with 90 per cent accuarcy – even for contentious species. 

One of the most interesting discoveries by the app was the resemblance between several dinosaur tracks and those left by birds. 

According to the researchers, this either suggests that birds originated tens of millions of years earlier than thought, or that some dinosaurs had feet that resembled birds by coincidence. 

The researchers also fed the AI app images of footprints from the Isle of Skye in Scotland, which have left scientists baffled. 

One of the most interesting discoveries by the app was the uncanny resemblance between several dinosaur tracks and those left by birds

Its analysis suggests that the tracks may have been left around 170 million years ago by some of the oldest relatives of duck-billed dinosaurs.   

Looking ahead, the researchers hope the tool will help to improve our understand of how dinosaurs lived and moved around the Earth.  

READ MORE

•  T. rex fossil discovery rewrites dinosaur history and reveals how long they really lived 

Dr Gregor Hartmann of Helmholtz–Zentrum research centre, and co-author of the study, said: 'Our method provides an unbiased way to recognize variation in footprints and test hypotheses about their makers. 

'It's an excellent tool for research, education, and even fieldwork.'

WHAT WAS THE 'CAMBRIAN EXPLOSION'?

Scientists have long speculated that a large oxygen spike during the 'Cambrian Explosion' was key to the development of many animal species. 

The Cambrian Explosion, around 541 million years ago, was a period when a wide variety of animals burst onto the evolutionary scene.

Before about 580 million years ago, most organisms were simple, composed of individual cells occasionally organised into colonies.

Over the following 70 or 80 million years, the rate of evolution accelerated and the diversity of life began to resemble that of today.

It ended with the Cambrian-Ordovician extinction event, approximately 488 million years ago. 

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Mystery of Egypt's Giza pyramids deepens as hidden megastructure 4,000 feet below is revealed

• READ MORE: I interviewed Joe Rogan's 'worst guest ever'... then a controversial question stopped everything

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

Joe Rogan's latest podcast guest delved into controversial scans showing an enormous underground structure beneath the Great Pyramid of Giza, potentially rewriting ancient history.

The scans were conducted by Italian scientist Filippo Biondi and the Khafre Project team using synthetic aperture radar. This satellite imaging technology maps subsurface features by bouncing radio waves off the ground.

More than 200 scans from multiple satellites, including Italy's Cosmo-SkyMed and the US-based Capella Space, showed uniform results suggesting massive pillars about 65 feet in diameter wrapped in spirals and plunging nearly 4,000 feet deep.

Those pillars appear to end in 260-foot cubic chambers beneath all three pyramids and the Sphinx, which Biondi described as 'huge chambers' measuring roughly 260 feet in length and width.

The scans also highlighted shafts descending about 2,000 feet that intersect horizontal corridors roughly 10 feet tall, leading Biondi to speculate the pyramids may not be tombs but ancient power plants or vibration devices for out-of-body experiences.

Rogan echoed the radical implications, saying: 'They're not tombs,' and adding that if the data is accurate, the pyramids may be 'just the tip of the iceberg.'

Biondi dated the underground structures to 18,000 to 20,000 years ago, linking them to Zep Tepi, the mythic 'First Time' when gods first ruled and civilization began.

He also pointed to salt residues from ancient seawater flooding as evidence of a great flood event that could support the theory of a far older civilization beneath Giza.

The researcher team has released a model of the structures hiding below the Giza plateau, which includes three pyramids and the Great Sphinx

Italian scientist Filippo Biondi was the latest guest on the Joe Rogan Experience, where he discussed the scans showing the hidden megastructure 

The Giza complex consists of three pyramids, Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, built 4,500 years ago on a rocky plateau on the west bank of the Nile River in northern Egypt.

However, the Khafre Pyramid team believes the structures are much older and are hiding an underground world built by a lost civilization. 

The key driver of the controversy is the credibility of the technology, which Biondi said he developed through 'top secret projects for the Italian military' and has applied to sites like the Mosul Dam and Italy's Grand Sasso laboratory.

It's patented, peer-reviewed, and built for precision, yet when the scans are applied to Giza, the reaction is fierce. Mainstream archaeologist Dr Zahi Hawass has called the scans 'This is bulls***.'

Biondi admitted that he and Armando Mei, who is part of the team, initially doubted the data, holding the results for six months, suspecting processing artifacts.

'My opinion was that it was not real. I was thinking that maybe it was noise or some artifacts due to our processing procedures,' he said.

Confirmation came from multiple satellite systems and benchmarks, including exact mapping of Italy's Grand Sasso particle collider, which lies about 4,600 feet deep inside a mountain.

Biondi said the consistency across datasets was what ultimately convinced him the findings were real. 

The scans captured enormous shafts descending from the pyramids 

The Giza complex consists of three pyramids, Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, built 4,500 years ago on a rocky plateau on the west bank of the Nile River in northern Egypt

After initially relying only on Italy's Cosmo-SkyMed satellites, the team expanded its analysis to US-based Capella Space satellites and others, seeking confirmation through diversity of sources. 

'Once we had the same results while we were using American satellites… and also other satellites always the same results, we decided to disclose,' he said.

Read More

EXCLUSIVE

•  Chilling new theory about mystery city beneath Egypt's pyramids 

In total, more than 200 scans returned the same structural patterns. 

Rogan pointed out that the technology has already been validated elsewhere, including its ability to precisely map Italy's underground Gran Sasso laboratory, a particle physics facility buried roughly 4,600 feet inside a mountain. '

We know it's accurate, we know it works,' Rogan said, calling resistance to the findings 'confirmation bias.'

Biondi emphasized that his work does not involve penetrating the ground with radar beams, a common online criticism. 

Hawass has used that argument to dismiss the claims, telling the Daily Mail: 'They used topographic radar.

'They claim it reaches more than 1,000 feet down to a city. But any scientist who understands tomographic radar knows it only reaches about 60 feet. Their theory is completely wrong.'

However, Biondi explained that the method analyzes mechanical vibrations naturally present on Earth's surface and reconstructs subsurface features through tomographic inversion. 

'We are not penetrating anything,' he said. 'We are just grabbing the entropy that is on the surface of the earth.'

The scans indicated not only vertical structures but horizontal corridors roughly nine feet tall that connect the shafts and chambers beneath the plateau. 

The scans also captured large rooms at the bottom of the shafts 

After gathering the data, researchers used a special algorithm that turned the information into vertical images of the ground beneath the pyramid, capturing the first look at the hidden structures. Pictured are the eight wells under the pyramid

According to Biondi, existing shafts between the pyramids, currently blocked by debris, may already provide access points to the underground system. 

'Those shafts go down, down, down… and they reach chambers that are below,' he said, estimating depths of about 1,968 feet.

Biondi argued that physical excavation may not even be necessary to confirm the findings. 

He has proposed a project to Egyptian authorities that would focus on clearing debris from existing shafts and deploying robotic drones, rather than digging new tunnels. 

'We want to use machines, not humans,' he said, estimating the cost of such an effort at roughly $20 million.

Rogan repeatedly returned to the scale of the implications. If the data holds up, he said, the pyramids, long considered among humanity's greatest architectural achievements, may be only the visible remnants of something far larger. 

'Those immense structures that have baffled mankind forever are just the tip of the iceberg,' Rogan said.

Biondi agreed, stressing that the measurements are the only subsurface data currently available for the Giza Plateau. 

'What we found is something that has been confirmed by our measurements,' he said. 'At the moment, these are the only data that we have.'

Despite the controversy, Biondi said he welcomes replication by other research groups and remains open to scrutiny. 

'I am happy if somebody can replicate things,' he said. 'If other research groups can replicate the things that I'm showing, I'm happy.'

For now, the scans remain unverified by direct exploration, suspended between radical possibility and entrenched skepticism. 

But as Rogan put it, ignoring the data outright would be a mistake. 'If you're skeptical, we should probably explore it,' he said. 'And if it's wrong, okay. But if it's right, it's a crime not to investigate.'

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Scientists Intrigued by Unfamiliar Life Form

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A major debate over the construction of the mysterious Neolithic Stonehenge site in the UK may finally have been resolved, after new evidence strongly suggests the stones were carried to the site by humans, not by natural processes.

The work, conducted by Curtin University researchers, discounts the likelihood that glaciers transported the blue stones used to construct the famous megalithic site. Archaeologists have long debated Stonehenge’s construction methods, and the recent paper published by the researchers in Communications Earth & Environment brings valuable new information to the discussion.

Explorations at Stonehenge

Uncertainty about how the site’s enigmatic altar stone arrived at Stonehenge has long fueled scholarly debate. In 2024, Curtin University researchers determined that the altar stone at the site had been transported from Scotland. For the new work, the Curtin University team used a form of mineral fingerprinting to provide new scientific evidence for how the transport occurred. To do so, the team explored rivers surrounding southern England’s Salisbury Plain, seeking mineral grains.

Analyzing these grains at Curtin University’s John de Laeter Centre revealed a geological record of the movement of sediment throughout Britain on a scale of millions of years. Especially crucial were zircon crystals, among Earth’s toughest materials, which are preserved for immense periods of time.

“If glaciers had carried rocks all the way from Scotland or Wales to Stonehenge, they would have left a clear mineral signature on the Salisbury Plain,” said lead author Dr Anthony Clarke from the Timescales of Minerals Systems Group within Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences. “Those rocks would have eroded over time, releasing tiny grains that we could date to understand their ages and where they came from.

“Humans Moved the Stones”

“We looked at the river sands near Stonehenge for some of those grains the glaciers might have carried and we did not find any,” Dr Clarke added. “That makes the alternative explanation—that humans moved the stones—far more plausible.”

While the work suggests that human ingenuity, not natural processes, moved these immense slabs of rock, exactly how that was accomplished remains a mystery.

“Some people say the stones might have been sailed down from Scotland or Wales, or they might have been transported over land using rolling logs, but really we might never know,” Dr Clarke said. “But what we do know is ice almost certainly didn’t move the stones.”

Ongoing Explorations at Stonehenge

“Stonehenge continues to surprise us,” said co-author Professor Chris Kirkland, also from the Timescales of Mineral Systems Group at Curtin. “By analysing minerals smaller than a grain of sand, we have been able to test theories that have persisted for more than a century.”

Given the site’s great antiquity, it has remained a focus of archaeological inquiry, although many questions about Stonehenge remain. Fortunately, modern technologies—including the geochemical tools used in the recent work—are helping to provide answers to some of these lingering mysteries over time.

“There are so many questions that can be asked about this iconic monument,” Professor Kirkland says. “For example, why was Stonehenge built in the first place?”

Kirkland points out that the site most likely had multiple purposes, which, in addition to its ritual significance as an ancient temple, likely included serving as a calendar, and even a site for feasts and other gatherings. “So asking and then answering these sorts of questions requires different sorts of data sets, and this study adds an important piece to that bigger picture.”

The paper, “Detrital Zircon-apatite Fingerprinting Challenges Glacial Transport of Stonehenge’s Megaliths,” appeared in Communications Earth & Environment on January 21, 2026.

• Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.

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Hand stencil made almost 68,000 years ago is the oldest cave art ever found

Handprints reveal sharpened fingertips in the Maros region of Sulawesi, Indonesia. 

Ahdi Agus Oktaviana / Maxime Aubert / AP

The reddish hand stencils, though faded and barely visible, were found inside the Liang Metanduno limestone cave on Muna, an island off the larger eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi. One of them was found to be at least 67,800 years old.

The team also identified animal figures inside a cave in Sulawesi, Indonesia

Maxime Aubert

Indonesian and Australian researchers said the stencils were made by blowing pigment onto a hand pressed against the rock surface, leaving an outline. Fingertips reshaped to appear more pointed suggest that the hands belonged to humans, possibly connected to the ancestors of the first Australians.

The paintings were dated by analyzing mineral crusts that had gradually formed on top of them.

The finding “is pretty extraordinary, because usually rock art is very difficult to date, and it doesn’t date back to anywhere near that old,” said Adam Brumm, a professor of archaeology at Griffith University in Brisbane and a co-author of the study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

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The world's oldest cave art: Scientists discover 67,000–year–old painting of a red hand in Indonesia – and it could rewrite the origins of human creativity

• READ MORE: Evolution debate reignited after 'missing link' found

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

A painting of a red hand found in a cave in Indonesia is believed to be the world's earliest rock art. 

Discovered in a cave on the island of Sulawesi, experts think the stencil was made by our species at least 67,800 years ago. 

This is 15,000 years earlier than the previous discovery in the same region. 

While the stencil was likely based on a human hand, it was altered before being used on the cave wall. 

Its creator had deliberately narrowed the negative outlines of the fingers – creating the impression of a claw–like hand. 

According to researchers from Griffith University, the finding could rewrite the origins or human creativity. 

What's more, its discovery could advance our understanding of exactly how and when Australia – which is just south of Sulawesi – first came to settled.

'It is very likely that the people who made these paintings in Sulawesi were part of the broader population that would later spread through the region and ultimately reach Australia,' explained team lead Dr Adhi Agus Oktaviana. 

A painting of a red hand discovered in a cave in Indonesiais believed to be the world's earliest rock art

Discovered in a cave on the island of Sulawesi, experts think the stencil was made by our species at least 67,800 years ago

Beyond rewriting the origins of human creativity, the findings could also shed light on the settlement of Sahul – the supercontinent that encompassed what is now Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea – which is just south of Sulawesi

The hand stencil was found preserved in limestone caves in southeastern Sulawesi, on the satellite island of Muna. 

Using advanced uranium–series dating techniques, the team analysed microscopic mineral deposits to understand exactly when the stencil was created. 

The results revealed a minimum age of 67,800 years – making it the oldest reliably dated cave art ever discovered. 

An analysis of the stencil itself suggests it was deliberately altered to give the impression of a claw. 

However, the symbolic meaning of this remains unclear.  

'This art could symbolise the idea that humans and animals were closely connected, something we already seem to see in the very early painted art of Sulawesi, with at least one instance of a scene portraying figures that we interpret as representations of part–human, part–animal beings,' Professor Adam Brumm, co–lead author of the study said.

Alongside the hand stencil, the researchers found paintings of a much more recent origin – around 20,000 years.

This suggests the Muna cave was used for making art over an 'exceptionally long period', according to the researchers. 

The hand stencil was found preserved in limestone caves in southeastern Sulawesi, on the satellite island of Muna

Using advanced uranium–series dating techniques, the team analysed microscopic mineral deposits to understand exactly when the stencil was created. The results revealed a minimum age of 67,800 years – making it the oldest reliably dated cave art ever discovered

'It is now evident from our new phase of research that Sulawesi was home to one of the world's richest and most longstanding artistic cultures, one with origins in the earliest history of human occupation of the island at least 67,800 years ago,' said Professor Maxime Aubert, co–lead author of the study.

Beyond rewriting the origins of human creativity, the findings could also shed light on the settlement of Sahul – the supercontinent that encompassed what is now Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea – which is just south of Sulawesi. 

Until now, scientists have been divided on the timing and route for humans' arrival. 

Some have suggested they arrived at least 65,000 years ago, while others are adamant it's more like 50,000 years ago. 

Meanwhile, certain studies indicate a northern route to the New Guinea portion of this landmass via Sulawesi and the 'Spice Islands', while others have put forward a more southerly route directly to the Australian mainland via Timor or adjacent islands. 

The new cave art helps to settle both of these debates – suggesting the first Australians arrived at least 65,000 years ago via the northern route. 

'With the dating of this extremely ancient rock art in Sulawesi, we now have the oldest direct evidence for the presence of modern humans along this northern migration corridor into Sahul,' said the study's co–lead author, Professor Renaud Joannes–Boyau.

CAVE ART: WORKS DATING BACK 40,000 YEARS HAVE BEEN FOUND

The most famous cave art can be found in Spain and France, but it exists throughout the world.

The famed Upper Palaeolithic cave art of Europe dates back to around 21,000 years ago. 

In recent years scholars have recorded cave art found in Indonesia that is believed to be about 40,000 years old - predating the most popular European cave art.

 Hand stencils found in the El Castillo cave in Cantabria, Spain

Expert Shigeru Miyagawa authored a study in 2018 which examined cave art to try to shed light on how human language evolved. 

He said: 'Cave art is everywhere. Every major continent inhabited by homo sapiens has cave art.

'You find it in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia, everywhere - just like the human language.'

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