Researchers say there may be a hidden tomb within the Great Pyramid of Giza

Using scanners, lasers, and drones, a team of researchers in Egypt say "thermal anomalies" within the Great Pyramid of Giza could mean there is an undiscovered tomb on the eastern side of the 4,500-year-old pyramid.

Members of the "Scan Pyramids" project are using non-invasive techniques to put together a complete picture of the internal structure of the pyramids "without drilling the slightest opening," The New York Times reports. The team found that some stones on the Great Pyramid were six degrees warmer or cooler than neighboring stones, and the differences in temperatures could be caused by the movement of "internal air currents" or the "presence of voids beneath the surface" of the blocks, Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities said.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is also known as the Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Cheops, and is the only wonder of the ancient world still in existence, the Times says. Although more tests need to be conducted, Mamdouh el-Damaty, the Egyptian minister of antiquities, said he's certain "there is something like a small passage in the ground that you can see, leading up to the pyramids ground, reaching an area with different temperature. What will be behind it?"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up