There are still many secrets hidden on our planet, and scientists and researchers continue to uncover them. From ancient Egyptian boats lying beneath the sea to huge dinosaur footprints preserved for millions of years, these findings give us a better look at Earth's past. Some discoveries also reveal how ancient people lived, built great monuments, and moved across different landscapes.
Others show how animals communicate or how climate change is reshaping our world. These amazing discoveries about planet Earth prove that even familiar places can hide remarkable stories. Here are some fascinating discoveries that have helped change what we know about our planet.
An ancient ‘pleasure boat’ was discovered in Egypt
In late 2005, during the excavation of what is now the submerged island of Antirhodos, just off Alexandria, Egypt, marine archaeologists unearthed a well-preserved ancient Egyptian pleasure boat of some 28m (92ft). Strabo the classical Greek writer mentions pleasure boats in his history and geography dated to the first century AD as do some of the mosaics of the 'Nile mosaic of Palestrina' which are of the same period.
However, no one had yet ever found one of these pleasure boats of the class of ancient Egypt's super-rich, which carried the rowers and had a deck-house. They carried a crew of twenty rowers and were often sumptuously adorned.
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A 'new' island was uncovered in Alaska
An "ice-fresh island" erupted from an Alaskan glacial lake in July 2005 following the retreat of the Alsek Glacier. NASA Earth Observatory has just released satellite images indicating that this island (called Prow Knob, to the right of the lake shown) has completely lost connection with the glacier and is now separated from the ice by an increasing area of fresh water.
One of few shrinking glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park, the Alsek Glacier previously surrounded Prow Knob on all sides-it once extended across the entire area of the lake. July 2005 saw a continued rise in average global temperatures for the tenth consecutive month, the record for consecutive hotter months to have passed, and it is predicted that this sorrowful glacier decline is just set to continue.
The tomb of a long-missing pharaoh was discovered
In February 2005, an eager group of archaeologists announced probably the biggest discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun more than a hundred years prior. They finally found the tomb of Thutmose II, the last remaining undiscovered tomb of the 18th Dynasty of which Tutankhamun had also been part. Immediately identifying the tomb, cut into the rock face, was the deep blue painted roof, patterned with yellow stars which indicated that the owner must have been a king.
Thutmose II reigned some time roughly between 1493-1479 BC and his mummified remains, (that might have in actual fact been incorrect anyway!), previously remained undiscovered in an Egyptian museum since they discovered them and it had always been presumed his tomb had never been found.
"You dream of such things," revealed archaeologist Piers Litherland, who announced the news, "but it's like winning the lottery; you never really think it will happen to you."
The UK's largest-ever dinosaur footprint site
There are about 200 enormous footprints with origins dating 166 million years into the past in a quarry in Oxfordshire, England that could potentially be the biggest dinosaur trackway ever discovered in the UK. In 2024, a digger driver noticed them in Dewars Farm Quarry, and experts immediately jumped into action.
They have now discovered the footprints of a Cetiosaurus, a long-necked sauropod similar to a Diplodocus, as well as a Megalosaurus, an enormous carnivorous dinosaur. At their earliest unveiling in January 2025, these footprints will shed light on the way that these enormous beasts walked, along with who they walked with and over what distances.
A PhD student accidentally discovered a giant lost city
When a Lidar scan of the Mexican jungle was being analyzed by PhD student Luke Auld-Thomas, it was realized by him that something really amazing had been stumbled upon that had been there all along. Hidden under the thick foliage, a large Maya city of sports arenas, temples, and amphitheatres was discovered by Luke.
The site-now known as Valeriana-is believed by experts to have likely been built between AD 750 and 850 and could have once been held by between 30,000 and 50,000 inhabitants. This photo shows the Maya city Calakmul which is located above ground.
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The hidden river that built the Pyramids
Scientists may have finally solved the mystery of the Pyramids how exactly the Egyptians managed to move the immense stone blocks to construct them! In May 2024, scientists announced the discovery of a long-forgotten branch of the Nile and, in doing so, may have uncovered the secret behind the creation of the world's iconic wonders.
The radar satellite imagery uncovered the 40 miles (64km) branch beneath the sand, after millennia of being hidden, and may even reveal why 31 pyramids were actually constructed as a chain along the now uninhabitable desert tract around 4,000 years ago.
An elephant never forgets (their own name)
Using an artificial intelligence algorithm, international scientists from Colorado State University and Save the Elephants & Elephant Voices, who have been dedicated to researching two herds of African savanna elephants in Kenya, successfully identified that elephants use unique individual names to call out to each other.
After systematically going through the sounds known to be elephant calls, which were recorded at Samburu National Reserve and Amboseli National Park in Kenya between 1986 and 2022, they came to the conclusion that each elephant will respond to its name, but not to calls that were directed at the sound of another elephant.
FAQs
1. What are some of the most amazing discoveries about planet Earth?
Some notable discoveries include an ancient Egyptian pleasure boat, a lost Maya city, a hidden Nile branch near the pyramids, major dinosaur footprint sites, and new findings about elephant communication.
2. What was discovered near the pyramids in Egypt?
Scientists identified an ancient branch of the Nile that once flowed close to several pyramid sites. It may help explain how heavy stone materials were transported during pyramid construction.
3. Where was the giant dinosaur footprint site discovered?
The major footprint site was discovered at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, England. The tracks date back around 166 million years.
4. What was discovered in the Mexican jungle?
A large Maya settlement called Valeriana was identified using LiDAR data. Researchers believe it included temples, sports areas and other structures and may have supported a large population.
5. Can elephants really have individual names?
Research suggests that African savanna elephants use individual vocal labels that function somewhat like names, and elephants can respond differently to calls directed at different individuals.
