You could be forgiven for thinking that human beings know all there is to know about our planet by now. Far from it. In fact, every year we’re still making incredible new discoveries, whether that’s describing new animal species or digging up incredible archaeological finds. And as these examples go to show, there’s still plenty left to be curious about right here on planet Earth.

In January, archaeologists stumbled across an ancient cave painting which is thought to be a whopping 45,500 years old. This would make it the oldest known cave painting of an animal in the world. It was found in an isolated valley in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and depicts a type of warty pig which is native to this island, painted using red ochre pigment. 

Initially mis-recognised as Bryde’s whales, a new species was described in the journal Marine Mammal Science in January. Rice's whales – named after Dale Rice, the marine biologist who first discovered the population – can grow to an enormous 42 feet (12.8m) and are found in the Gulf of Mexico. But they’re critically endangered, with fewer than 100 of them thought to exist. After one was found stranded in southwest Florida in 2019, researchers were able to study its skull to confirm it was a separate species.

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To give you a sense of just how tiny this chameleon is, that’s a human thumb it’s sitting on. Found by a German-Madagascan team of researchers in Madagascar in February, this sunflower-seed-sized creature has been named the smallest reptile on the planet, with a body measuring just 0.53 inches (1.35cm) long. The chameleon is said to live on the forest floor, feeding on mites and hiding from predators under blades of grass. 

Last year, a newly discovered species of the huntsman spider was named Thunberga, after the Swedish environmentalist Greta Thunberg. In March 2021, there were 25 new subspecies of the so-called “Greta Spiders” identified, all of which were found in Madagascar or the neighbouring island of Mayotte. Other subspecies have been named after influential young people including Malala Yousafzai and environmentalist and entrepreneur Boyan Slat. 

So-named for its elephant-like ear-fins, the “Emperor Dumbo” subspecies of Dumbo octopus was discovered near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands in 2016. But it wasn’t until April 2021 that the species was formally described – using state-of-the-art new methods. Rather than dissecting the animal in a lab, as is the norm, the researchers used 3D imaging techniques including MRI and CT scans to study it. 

Although it may not be a new discovery per se, the naming of a fifth ocean is undoubtedly significant. In June, the National Geographic Society announced it would be recognising the Southern Ocean, the area of water which extends from Antarctica’s coastline to 60 degrees south latitude. Although it had long been recognised as a separate body of water by many scientists, National Geographic’s decision to name it on its maps shines a spotlight on the region’s particularly delicate ecosystem. 

In June, researchers identified a new species of ancient human that lived alongside our species some 130,000 years ago. After studying the remains of a skull and jaw found near the city of Ramla in Israel, the team determined that they belonged to one of the last survivors of the Nesher Ramla Homo type, which may have given rise to the Neanderthals. The discovery, published in the journal Science, shakes up existing thinking that our evolutionary cousins hailed from Europe. 

While not technically a discovery made about Earth, the announcement of a brand-new planet in June is certainly exciting. According to NASA, the planet is 3.5 times the size of Earth and is located 90 light years away from us, with an atmosphere that closely resembles Neptune. With a temperature of 134°F (57°C), it’s considered cool compared to most planets, while its position makes it perfect for study by telescope.

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These funny-looking critters weren’t named “zombie” frogs for their appearance. In fact, researchers coined the name based on the way they looked after digging underground to find the unusual creatures. Described in July, the newly discovered species of frog measures just 1.5 inches (3.8cm) in length and is found in the Amazon rainforest region of Guyana, usually dwelling underground. 

In July, an Israeli-Australian team of archaeologists found a piece of pottery with an ultra-rare inscription. Discovered in Khirbat er-Ra‘i, near Kiryat Gat in southern Israel, the fragment dates from 1100 BC and bears the name of the biblical figure Jerubbaal written in a Canaanite alphabetic script. Not only is it rare to find inscriptions in Israel from this era, but a mention of Jerubbaal’s name has never been found in an archaeological context before.

Scientists had been collecting samples off the coast of Greenland in August when they stumbled across an unexpected discovery: a whole island. It’s located 2,560 feet (780m) north of Oodaaq, the isle which was previously thought to be the most northerly in the world. The as-yet unnamed isle consists of a roughly 100-foot (30m) wide patch of mud, soil and rock, and was revealed by the shifting of pack ice. 

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It’s not often that a country gains a brand new island. But in the case of Japan, that happened in August, after the underwater Fukutoku-Okanoba volcano erupted and left a crescent-shaped piece of land 745 miles (1,200km) south of Tokyo. Yet the island, which has a 0.6-mile (1km) diameter, isn’t expected to last long. Similar volcanic islands were produced from eruptions in 1904, 1914 and 1986, all of which were later swallowed by the sea.

With its vibrant, multicoloured scales, it’s hard to believe this species of wood lizard lived undetected for so long. Found in the Yungas ecosystem in the Peruvian Andes, the dragon-like species was formally described by scientists in August, in a paper which appeared in the journal Evolutionary Systematics. It’s been named Enyalioides feiruzae and comes in a rainbow of colours, from grey and brown to turquoise and green.

Thanks to its gorgeous rainbow colours and long legs, a newly discovered fly was named after drag icon RuPaul in September. The species was discovered in Australia by Dr Bryan Lessard – nicknamed “Bry the Fly Guy” in the scientific community – who hopes that naming new species after famous people will bring more attention to rare and threatened animals.

The discovery of two species of spinosaurid dinosaurs, thought to date back 129 million years, was announced in the journal Scientific Reports in September. Found on the Isle of Wight, UK, the remains were gradually excavated between 2013 and 2017. Scientists were amazed at how well-preserved the skeletons were, allowing them to gain a better understanding of the group they’re part of. 

Researchers have examined the rings of trees in Newfoundland, Canada, revealing that the area was occupied back in AD 1021. That’s 471 years before Columbus arrived on the shores of North America. But just how did scientists arrive at that particular date? It turns out there was a solar storm in the year AD 992, which left radiation that was soaked up by trees. Thanks to a new radiocarbon dating technique, the researchers were able to pinpoint the exact year in which the tree was felled by the vikings. The study was published in the journal Nature in October. 

Trapped in amber and dating back 100 million years, a crab from the Crestaceous dinosaur era was discovered in October, as reported in the journal Science Advances. The first of its kind, the crab was extremely well-preserved and gives a unique insight into the species’ anatomy and biology. While fossils of insects and other land animals are often found in amber, aquatic animals are a much rarer discovery.

A 3,500-year-old drawing of a ghost on a clay tablet was found in a vault at the British Museum, London, in mid-October – just in time for Halloween. Thought to be the oldest depiction of a ghost in the world, the drawing hails from Babylon and is part of an exorcist’s teachings on how to get rid of ghosts, depicting a bearded male ghost being led back to the underworld by a woman. On the back of the tablet, there’s a written guide to rituals for getting rid of ghosts. According to museum curator Irving Finkel, the object had previously been overlooked because the drawing was faint and the text was mis-deciphered.

In October, archaeologists announced the discovery of a 1,500-year old winemaking complex in the central Israeli town of Yavne. The complex includes five wine presses, clay kilns, warehouses and other facilities – enough to produce 520,000 gallons (two million litres) of wine per year, according to researchers. As well as being a source of enjoyment, wine was often used as a substitute for water, which was often contaminated and unsafe to drink.

Whether you’re an archaeology buff or not, the discovery of an enormous 3,000-year old city in Egypt in April was huge news. Dug up by a team led by Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, it’s the largest ancient city ever found in Egypt, and has been called one of the most important finds since Tutankhamun's tomb. The remains of the city, known as Aten, give clues as to what life was like during the most prosperous period of the Egyptian empire.

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Since the discovery of giant fossilised footprints in Queensland, Australia 50 years ago, scientists have held onto the belief that they were made by a carnivorous dinosaur. But according to new research, published in the journal Historical Biology in October, the 200-250 million-year-old tracks were left by a much smaller, plant-eating dinosaur, no taller than a human being. (Pictured are similar footprints found in Queensland.)