Ancient river network discovered buried under Saharan sand

Radar images of the Mauritanian desert have revealed a river stretching for more than 500km and suggest plants and wildlife once thrived there

A vast river network that once carried water for hundreds of miles across Western Sahara has been discovered under the parched sands of Mauritania.

Radar images taken from a Japanese Earth observation satellite spotted the ancient river system beneath the shallow, dusty surface, apparently winding its way from more than 500km inland towards the coast.