2024 was an extraordinary year for the planet. Earth experienced one of the strongest El Niño events on record, leading to a supercharged hurricane season that brought record-breaking storms. The Sahara was hit by an extraordinary rainfall event — a year’s worth of rain fell in just a few days, leading to lakes appearing across parts of northern Africa.

Scientists mapped the underside of an Antarctic glacier and discovered huge, mysterious structures carved into the ice, while giant viruses were found on Greenland’s dark ice and red snow.