Every year, scientists discover a plethora of new things. We find new species, observe strange phenomena, and even get to rewrite history more accurately with new archaeological discoveries to draw from. Despite our current administration’s blatant attack on science, 2017 had quite a few notable scientific discoveries, from Earth-like planets to a new way to treat burn victims.

1. Worms with two heads

In 2017, we sent some flatworms into space for funsies. Flatworms are pretty rad already. They can regenerate into full, complete flatworms even when cut into pieces. The worms seemed like a perfect specimen to send to space in order to study what effect it would have on cell activity. As it turns out, the effects can be strange, as little Mister Two-Headed Flatworm showed us when his cells decided two heads were better than one and decided to grow another on the other end of his body.

2. Badass female vikings

This year in Women Did Cool Shit In History, Too, the remains of a Viking warrior previously assumed to be male were proven to hold female DNA. The warrior was buried with an array of swords, spears, and other rad accessories. This was significant because, like pretty much else in history, people have a tendency to emphasize Strong Male Characters and totally ignore the fact that women have always been present in history.

3. Earth-like planets

Several light-years away from us, orbiting a little star called TRAPPIST-1, are seven planets. Three of which, NASA says have the potential for water to exist and, possibly, life. Which means we are that much closer to finding actual, real-life aliens, and maybe sooner than we think.

4. Obnoxiously loud shrimp

In case you needed any more evidence that the Ocean Is Weird, a new type of shrimp was discovered on the coast of Panama that uses its claws to make a loud noise which scares, or even kills, nearby fish. The noise this creates can reach up to 210 decibels. For reference, human eardrums can rupture at around 165 decibels.

5. Spray-on skin

It sounds like something you’d find in a hospital in a bad sci-fi movie. But scientists have developed a way to spray stem cells into burn wounds in order to help new skin grow. It still needs approval from the FDA, but this technology sounds a lot easier and way less painful than skin grafting for burn victims. Yay medical science!

6. Brazilian Stonehenge

Stonehenge, a prehistoric arrangement of stones in England, is one of the most famous landmarks in the UK, partly because we don’t have much clue about why it exists. This year, several similar formations were discovered by researchers in Brazil, and we don’t have much clue about why they exist, either.

7. A fourth state of matter

Anyone who’s ever taken a chemistry course knows matter exists in three states: solid, liquid, and gas. Except, not really. Scientists have created a new form, what they call “time crystals,” matter that exists in perpetual motion without energy. Because high school chem class wasn’t complicated enough.

8. An interstellar asteroid

Up until 2017, every asteroid we’ve observed has originated in our solar system. But this year, an interstellar asteroid a kilometer long went soaring past our planet. The asteroid, dubbed ‘Oumuamua' (from a Hawaiian term for "scout") suggests that there might be more interstellar objects just floating around space than previously thought. This is a little scary since, if such an object ever collided with Earth, it would probably be able to do a lot of damage.

Nothing like a giant space javelin to make you ponder your own mortality.