Science and technology were in the news our sophomore year.

• Scientists release first-ever image of black hole- something that has eluded scientists for more than half a century. An international effort involving eight radio observatories across four continents observed the black hole located in Messier 87, a large galaxy some 55 million light-years away from Earth, over 10 days in April 2017. But it took two years of computer analysis to piece together the image, which was released in April 2019.
• Researchers eliminate H.I.V. from infected mice- Researchers in the United States  say they have eliminated H.I.V. from infected mice for the first time, marking yet another promising step toward a cure.
• A kidney is delivered by drone for the first time- a specially built drone delivered a donated kidney that was later used in a successful  transplant surgery at the University  of Maryland Medical Center.
• For the first time, the U.S. sells rice to China- A private importer from China purchased roughly  40 metric tons of rice from the California-based Sun Valley Rice in July.
• World’s biggest airplane takes first flight ever- The Stratolaunch,  the world’s biggest airplane, took its maiden voyage in April in California’s Mojave Desert. The aircraft, which weighs 500,000 pounds and has two fuselages, is designed to launch rockets into orbit while airborne, but it went sans rockets for its first flight.