Amazon studies uncover ancient megastructures and climate‑regulating impact

Researchers using LIDAR mapping surveyed 4,497 km² of Brazil’s Acre and Amazonas states and identified 432 earthworks, 396 of them previously unknown. The findings suggest the pre‑colonial Aquiry civilization may have built 24,000‑30,000 geometric structures and supported 1.25‑3 million people between 100 BC and 300 AD, dramatically reshaping scholars’ view of Amazon habitation.

A separate international study employing artificial‑intelligence algorithms showed that vegetation in the Amazon basin drives atmospheric moisture transport, influencing soil humidity across much of South America—even thousands of kilometres away. The research, published in Nature Communications, highlights the forest’s critical role in continental water balance and underscores potential impacts of deforestation and climate change on agriculture.

These discoveries together underline how advanced technologies—laser‑based remote sensing and machine‑learning climate models—are revealing the Amazon’s far‑reaching cultural and ecological importance.