By Betselot Wondimu ‘15

Higgs Boson discovery validated: In 1964, British scientists Peter Higgs and François Englert hypothesized the existence of a massive subatomic particle with a neutral charge within the Higgs field, an energy field that transmits mass to particles that travel through it. Also called the “God Particle,” its existence was confirmed through billion-dollar research by the European Organization for Nuclear Research in early 2013, winning Higgs and Englert a Nobel Prize.

Water discovered on Mars: About two-percent of Martian soil contained water soon after the Curiosity Rover landed on Mars in 2012. The presence of water revitalized the popular question: is there really extraterrestrial life?

Existence of black holes proven: A Johns Hopkins astrophysicist led a team that witnessed a super-massive black hole, or a region with an extremely powerful gravitational field, in action about 2.7 billion light-years away from Earth in 2012. Information about John Hopkins’ specific black hole opens new opportunities for research in its field.

“Twin-Earth” Discovery Confirmed: Kepler-22b is a planet that falls in a habitable zone, or a place where liquid water can form on the planet’s surface. With 25-times the radius of Earth, its discovery in 2011 is a large step toward finding thousands of other similar planets where the chance  of life-sustaining water – and perhaps life – is possible.