1. Scientists release first-ever image of black hole

For the first time, astronomers released an image of a 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 this year.

2. New treatment for peanut allergies

The Food and Drug Administration has recommended the approval of the first drug for treating peanut allergies in children. As of 2017, there were about 1.2 million children in the United States with allergies to peanuts, some of them life-threatening. The new drug, Palforzia, is supposed to reduce the risks of a fatal peanut-allergy reaction in children ages 4 to 17.

3. Aston Martin unveils its first-ever electric car

The world may not be enough, but James Bond is poised to do his part to help keep it green. Aston Martin, the British maker of the sports car that the secret agent drives onscreen, revealed its first electric car, the Rapide E, at the Shanghai Auto Show in April. The car, which costs $326,000, can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under four seconds and has a maximum speed of 155 m.p.h. — plenty fast for all those car chases.