Lessons from 2021: 7 times we learnt life is full of surprises

As the UAE’s Hope Probe was on its duty of mapping out the Red Planet’s atmosphere, it came across a ‘divine cosmic phenomenon’: It captured a discrete aurora. Hope’s snapshots of the aurora on the nightside of Mars were the first-ever actual images of the cosmic spectacle.

‘Crescent moon’ discovered in the desert

Just in time for the holy month of Ramadan, residents discovered a moon-shaped lake in the middle of Al Qudra desert. Many wouldn’t have known it exists, had it not been for a video that went viral on social media.

Four strangers and a falling cat

Four Dubai residents were going about their day when they saw a cat that was about to fall off a balcony. In a matter of seconds, three of them grabbed a blanket to catch the cat, while the other caught the moment on camera. It was an act of kindness that earned praise - and reward - from no less than the Ruler of Dubai.

Help! Giant ship stuck

The Ever Green became the ship that launched a thousand memes when it got stuck in the Suez Canal. Who could've imagined a single ship could plunge an entire industry into crisis? After nearly a week, it was finally freed — a moment that called for a celebration.

Look, a baby dinosaur

Yes, this is a dinosaur in its egg. No, it won’t hatch. Scientists recently announced the discovery of a ‘perfectly preserved’ embryo of an oviraptorosaur. The fossil was unearthed in Ganzhou, southern China.

The mummies return

This is not a movie. Twenty-two ancient Egyptian royal mummies, in special capsules, were paraded across Cairo, Egypt, as they were moved to a new museum home in April.

900-year-old sword fished out 
of seabed

A sword, believed to have belonged to a crusader who sailed to the Holy Land almost a millennium ago, was recovered from the Mediterranean seabed - all thanks to an eagle-eyed amateur diver, said the Israel Antiquities Authority.