If the approach works as promised, it could help astronomers make up for lost time in a big way. The University of Waterloo claims that it could double the list of known black holes within 2 years, and that it could fundamentally change our understanding of black hole history within 10 years. Scientists could study the nature of black holes as a broader group, rather than focusing on individual examples. While there's no guarantee of meeting that goal, even a modest increase in the black hole detection rate could significantly improve our understanding of the universe.