Best of 2017

2017 was a busy year for science. Researchers got new tools, doctors got new medicines, and tables were laid with new foods, the ultimate shut-ins got their first glimmer of freedom, and we learned who really will inherit the Earth. Let's look back at the highlights of this year in science.

New animal species are constantly turning up in the deep oceans, thick jungles, or even dusty museum store rooms. Here’s our favorite new additions to the Tree of Life in 2017, as well as a couple of “Lazarus” creatures that were believed extinct but rediscovered this year.