Often times when life throws you curves you may need a reminder to stay strong and move forward. This is the spirit behind a shell ring, an ancient symbol that can be worn to remind you of who you are without all the layers that society has put on you. Shell rings are a beautiful way to let your loved ones know that they can grow and comfort themselves while facing the challenges of life. This is a beautiful gift for anyone who has been struggling with their health or career.

Deep in the coastal forests and marshes of the American Southeast lie shell rings, and other mounded structures left by indigenous people 3,000 to 5,000 years ago. These shell middens provide key insights into social constructs and foraging patterns.

Now, an international team led by the Binghamton University Anthropology Department is using deep machine learning to assess remote sensing data for evidence of previously undiscovered shell rings. Their work is published this month in PLOS ONE.

Shell rings were once the centers of villages where families lived, traded with kin and other tribes, held ceremonies and feasted. They also serve as the only surviving record of a vibrant, early Native American culture that lasted centuries. The study of these middens provides a window into the social dynamics of this unique, once-abundant human culture that was eventually replaced by more advanced societies. shell ring