In Mexico, Luke and a team of scientists discovered a lost Maya city. It was covered by thick forests for centuries. The Maya lived there over1,000 years ago. They were good at farming, writing, math and building amazing stone buildings like temples and palaces.
▲ . The main reason was that most work had to be done by hand to make a discovery. Scientists had to cut down overgrown plants as they walked through the forest. It was hard and took lots of time.
Later, a technology, LiDAR, makes it possible for scientists to discover hidden ancient villages more easily. To use LiDAR, scientists fly a tiny flying machine over an area. The machine sends out thousands of laser beams (激光束). By recording how long it takes for the beams to return to the machine, scientists can make a 3D map of the ground below. This way, scientists can further study the remains long before they finally enter them.
However, Luke's team was not able to use LiDAR because it was too expensive. Luckily, Luke found a 2013 LiDAR map online made by other researchers. When Luke and his team studied the information, they were surprised to find thousands of Maya structures(建筑) which made a large city. The city even had a field for ancient Mayan ball games.
Luke believes that their discovery means there is a lot more to discover in that area. They plan to enter the newly discovered city to continue their research. "Maya cíties are completely different from modern ones," Luke said. "Studying them can give us ideas to make our cities better."
