When No Man’s Sky launched last year, an archaeology PhD student led a team of 30 players on a survey intending to understand the algorithms that built the game’s worlds. This initial foray didn’t pan out, as the game was missing features he needed to properly excavate. But after the 1.3 update, which radically…

Archaeologist Andrew Reinhard has dug through humanity’s past among ancient ruins in Greece. These days, though, he digs a little closer to home.