.: Conclusions

Some conclusions that can be drawn from studying the field of gamma-ray bursts include:

• Gamma-ray bursts have only recently been understood by our current standards.

• They were found in a serendipitous sort of way, as the American's original intention was to check for nuclear tests above the Earth's atmosphere being conducted by the USSR.  

• A near-by gamma-ray burst has the potential to cause a mass extinction of our race; however, the likeliness of this happening is very low, based on our current understanding of our universe.

• The only gamma-ray bursts we can currently find are located thousands of light-years away.  However, some of these still remain visible to the naked eye due to their extreme brightness.

• As we can see, gamma-ray bursts allow us a glimpse of a fraction of the power and majesty that the universe possesses.

• These gamma-ray bursts may allow us to understand dark matter.  This is a theory that is being experimented with, but if it is found to be true, it could rock the very foundation that science is laid upon.