5 most tremendous scientific discoveries of the decade

The past decade was a time of incredible scientific discoveries that have expanded our understanding of the universe. Researchers across various disciplines tested hypotheses, found proof and explored places that have forced us to rethink our knowledge of our planet and the cosmos. This period has been marked by important milestones in understanding some of the most challenging problems facing humanity. Let's take a look at five of the most exciting scientific discoveries of the 2000s!

Typically, black holes are formed at the end of the lives of large stars when their material collapses in on itself, creating an incredibly dense structure due to intense gravity. In 2016, the detection of two black holes colliding confirmed Einstein's prediction made in 1916 that such an event would create ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves. While this was a groundbreaking discovery, the past decade also saw the capture of the first-ever image of a massive black hole called a single arity, located at the center of the Messier 87 galaxy, approximately 54 million light-years away from us. Its mass is equivalent to 6.5 billion of our Suns. Black holes like these are believed to be at the center of every galaxy, and their gravitational pull is responsible for the orbit of billions of stars in these large structures.

At number two, we have the world's climates. The last decade was a time when we began to understand how human behavior has affected our planet and its climate. The amount of ice lost from Greenland and Antarctica has increased by almost six times compared to 30 years earlier, and the world's sea levels are expected to rise by 3 feet by 2100, affecting the homes and lives of at least 630 million people. The impact on biodiversity is also immense, with 40% of all amphibian species, over 33% of marine mammals, and 10% of insect species endangered.

At number three, we have Kepler, which launched in 2009 to study distant stars and measure the amount of light they emit. Fluctuations in their brightness can determine whether any objects are orbiting them. By the end of the decade, over 4055 exoplanets had been discovered, including a few that are potentially habitable. This discovery has revolutionized our understanding of our solar system and given us a glimpse into the vastness of the universe.

At number four, the Higgs boson was finally discovered in 2012. This article was first theorized in 1964 and is one of the most influential pieces of the subatomic worThe standard model of physics doesn't explain why objects have mass, and the elusive Higgs boson particle exists in the Higgs field and interacts with other particles to create mass. The discovery of the Higgs boson confirmed the last unknown part of the standard model of physics and opened the door to investigating even stranger phenomena.

At number five, we have Pluto. Despite its demotion from being a fully-fledged planet in 2006, the launch of the New Horizons spacecraft that same year led to its discovery being revisited. In 2015, the spacecraft reached Pluto and provided images and data that amazed scientists. Rather than being boring fully-fledged was found to have moving glaciers, floating ice mountains, and a huge frozen sea made of solid nitrogen. The constant replenishment of the top layer of ice created surface structures that were unexpected and gave us a new understanding of dwarf planets on the edge of our solar system.

The past decade has been an incredible time for scientific discoveries, and we have gained much knowledge about the world and the universe around us. And I eagerly await future discoveries and breakthroughs. Thank you for reading.