scans

Earth

AI tool that scans grains of sand opens window into recent and distant past

A scanning electron microscope reveals the shape and texture of quartz sand grains from the Mississippi River. The grains in this photo are about 200 micrometers long. Courtesy of Michael Hasson/Stanford University Stanford University researchers have developed an artificial intelligence-based tool called SandAI that can reveal the history of quartz sand grains going back hundreds of millions of years, allowing…