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6 great recent archeological discoveries

Words by Abi Scaife

As technology advances, we're locating more relics across the globe. From discovering new species to long-forgotten items from ancient civilisations, each new find is another piece of the puzzle, showing us what life used to be like on Planet Earth.

Here are a few of our favourite discoveries from recent years (plus a very exciting bonus entry!).

MICRORAPTOR’S LAST MEAL.

An incredibly rare discovery was found at the end of 2022 - the fossilised remains of a dinosaur, complete with its last meal in its stomach.

The Microraptor was an opportunistic predator, a feathered, four-winged bird-like dinosaur that we previously believed fed only on lizards, birds and fish. Thanks to this incredible discovery - including a whole foot! - we now know it also ate small mammals.

This discovery shows us not only so much more about the lives of dinosaurs, but how much more there is to learn. 

WORLD’S OLDEST DNA.

The world’s oldest DNA was discovered in northern Greenland in early 2023 - at 2 million years old, this gives us an unprecedented view into what life was like on Earth long before humans were even a twinkle in mother nature’s eye.

One of the most incredible discoveries that came from this find was traces of mastodon DNA. Mastodon were elephant like creatures that are now extinct - but they were never thought to have travelled as far north as Greenland. It goes to show that even the smallest finds can have huge implications.

TERRACOTTA WARRIORS.

20 terracotta warriors were uncovered near the burial site of Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang, another part of the Terracotta Army, in February 2023. Very few references are made in ancient texts to the Terracotta Army and why it was created, and with each discovery we learn a little more. Archeologists have discovered around 8,000 terracotta warriors, along with horses, chariots and bronze weapons - but there is no telling how much more there is to find.

DINOSAUR NESTS.

More than 250 fossilized eggs were discovered in The Lameta Formation, located in the Narmada Valley in India. Fossils from the late cretaceous period are commonly found in this place, however, nothing quite like this before.

92 nests comprised of 256 fossilised eggs, all belonging to titanosaurs - one of the largest kinds of dinosaur to have ever existed. Of these eggs, there were six different kinds of titanosaur represented, which is far more than was previously shown in the fossil record. This changes the way we think about these incredible creatures, and the way they lived.

BONUS: NEFERTITI’S MUMMY.

While not technically discovered yet, Nefertiti’s Mummy still deserves a place on this list. In 2020, archeologists began a series of excavations into rooms in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. These rooms have been undisturbed for centuries, and are believed to be the final resting place of Queen Nefertiti and her family.

In fact, two female mummies have been unearthed already, and are undergoing extensive DNA testing to discover whether one of the bodies belongs to Queen Nefertiti.

This article aligns with the UN SDG Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

This article aligns with the following UN SDGs

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