Seeing sites and features in places where we never looked or never thought things might exist is causing archaeologists across the world to think deeper about their sites or entire cultures. Sarah Parcak archaeologistcauseculture Change image and share on social
We're using satellites to help map and model cultural features that could never be seen on the ground because they're obscured by modernization, forests, or soil. Sarah Parcak culturalfeatureforest Change image and share on social
When people initially think of the term 'space archaeologist,' they think, 'Oh, it's someone who uses satellites to look for alien settlements on Mars or in outer space,' but the opposite is true - we're actually looking for evidence of past human life on planet earth. Sarah Parcak alienarchaeologistearth share on social
I am honored to receive the TED Prize, but it's not about me; it's about our field - and the thousands of men and women around the world, particularly in the Middle East, who are defending and protecting sites. Sarah Parcak defendeastfield share on social
If you look at the Nile on a map of Egypt, you don't think it has moved very much, but the river is very violent and has moved over time. Sarah Parcak egyptmapmove Change image and share on social
Scientists use satellites to track weather, map ice sheet melting, detect diseases, show ecosystem change... the list goes on and on. I think nearly every scientific field benefits or could benefit from satellite imagery analysis. Sarah Parcak analysisbenefitchange share on social
There's even an aircraft sensor system that sends down hundreds of thousands of pulses of light measured at different return rates. It allows you to literally strip away vegetation and see entire cities beneath the rain forest canopy. This is the unbelievable future of archaeology. Sarah Parcak aircraftarchaeologybeneath share on social
Eventually, when I started studying Egyptology, I realized that seeing with my naked eyes alone wasn't enough. Because all of the sudden, in Egypt, my beach had grown from a tiny beach in Maine to one eight hundred miles long, next to the Nile. Sarah Parcak beachegyptegyptology share on social
The majority of the research I do is archaeological research, but to me, as a professor, the most important thing is to encourage and mentor students. Sarah Parcak archaeologicalencourageimportant Change image and share on social
You think looting is bad in Egypt, look at Peru, India, China. I've been told in China there are over a quarter-million archaeological sites, and most have been looted. This is a global problem of massive proportions, and we don't know the scale. Sarah Parcak archaeologicalbadchina share on social