Laser scans uncover vast Mayan cities under Guatemalan jungles

Archaeologists have used LiDAR — light detection and ranging — technology to digitally remove trees from aerial shots of northern Guatemalan jungles and reveal centuries-old Mayan ruins, reports National Geographic.

What they found: A vast network of cities with 60,000 houses, palaces and elevated highways that may have housed 10 to 15 million people at the civilization's peak — that's millions more people than researchers previously thought lived in the area.