A scientific journal has retracted a study that claimed satellite radar could reveal hidden structures inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, finding serious problems with its methods and statistical analysis. “Remote Sensing” retracted the 2022 paper by Italian researchers Filippo Biondi and Corrado Malanga on Aug. 10. The journal said an investigation confirmed “serious methodological flaws and statistical errors” that undermined the study’s conclusions.
The decision is significant because the research provided peer-reviewed support for a radar-based approach later associated with extraordinary claims about giant structures beneath the Giza pyramids.
Researchers claimed radar could reveal hidden features
The 2022 study examined the Pyramid of Khufu, also known as the Great Pyramid. The researchers used a method called synthetic aperture radar Doppler tomography. They did not claim conventional radar could penetrate hundreds of meters of stone. Instead, they argued that satellite radar could detect extremely small vibrations at the pyramid’s surface. Their method would then use those signals to reconstruct hidden features.
The paper reported 20 possible structures, including corridors, rooms and ramps. It also identified the “Big Void,” a cavity previously detected independently through muon imaging. Other research has produced confirmed discoveries at the monument, including a hidden corridor inside the Great Pyramid. The researchers said their technique could make the pyramid appear “transparent like a crystal.” But they acknowledged that fieldwork would be needed to confirm their findings.
Claims expanded beneath Khafre
In March 2025, Biondi and collaborators presented much larger claims involving the nearby Pyramid of Khafre. They reported five connected structures and eight cylindrical shafts extending about 648 meters underground. The researchers said spiral pathways surrounded the shafts and led toward two large, cube-shaped structures.
A study claiming satellite radar revealed hidden structures inside the Great Pyramid of Giza has been RETRACTED.
The journal found “serious methodological flaws and statistical errors,” raising new questions about viral claims of an “underground city” beneath Giza.#Egypt #Giza pic.twitter.com/L1IlohbieN— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) September 8, 2026
The claims spread widely online as evidence of an “underground city.” However, the Khafre findings were not part of the 2022 paper and have not been independently verified through excavation. The debate comes amid continued scientific efforts to investigate Giza without damaging its monuments. Separate research, for example, has used noninvasive techniques to confirm hidden air-filled voids in the Menkaure Pyramid.
Egyptologist Zahi Hawass rejected the Khafre claims, saying there was “no scientific evidence” supporting the proposed structures. Radar specialist Lawrence Conyers, a University of Denver professor emeritus who reviewed the original 2022 paper, also challenged the method. He told “Retraction Watch” that radar measures what it directly “sees” and argued that the proposed vibrations would be too small for a satellite to detect reliably.
Journal says findings are not reliable
Remote Sensing said it investigated after a reader raised concerns about the research. Its retraction notice said the paper’s findings and conclusions were no longer reliable, although it did not list each alleged error individually or accuse the authors of fabricating data.
Biondi and Malanga disagreed with the retraction. Biondi has publicly challenged the decision and called for the journal to identify the specific errors behind it. The retraction applies only to the 2022 Great Pyramid paper. It does not independently disprove the later Khafre claims.
The Khafre Project has since said it submitted plans for noninvasive field measurements and excavation permit applications to Egyptian authorities. No approval was announced.
Such fieldwork and independent testing would be needed to determine whether the dramatic structures shown in the team’s reconstructions actually exist beneath Giza. The controversy also reflects a much longer history of speculation about chambers and tunnels beneath the Great Sphinx and the Giza Plateau.
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