What Is (Almost) Everything Made Of?

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Written by Colin Stuart

Edited and Animated by the legend Manuel Rubio - @ArtandContext
Narrated by David Kelly
Sound Editing by Craig Stevenson
Further Art by Joseph Ioseliani
and Rami Dahouk (Using Manim - MITLicense, (c) 2020-2023 3Blue1Brown LLC)

Galaxies, space videos from NASA, ESA and ESO.
Music from Epidemic Sound, Artlist, Silver Maple And Yehezkel Raz.
Stock footage from Videoblocks, Artgrid and Shutterstock.

Further Image Sources:

00:00 Introduction
04:31 Rise Of The Field
16:28 The Quantum Atom
30:35 Quantum Electrodynamics
45:21 Quantum Flavordynamics
57:46 Quantum Chromodynamics
1:11:37 Quantum Gravity

[HistoryoftheUniverse]

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[timothyodonnell]

I watch a ton of science videos. This is, by far (it's not even close), the best video I have ever seen that explains the standard model as a whole. I am a 100% layman when it comes to science, yet the video explained concepts in understandable ways that, until now, have frustratingly escaped me. Further, as a history nerd, I loved how it traces the evolution of the theories that formed the foundations and progression of the standard model. Even with a length of nearly an hour and a half, I'm sure the editor had to make hard choices. Yet it strikes the proper balance where there is nothing unnecessary, but leaves no holes. That is a sure sign of superior writing and editing. I can't imagine how long it took to create the script and the effort it took to write it. I'm grateful that the editor took the risk of leaving it as one video rather than chopping it up. I will be re-watching this video over again (probably many times) to solidify my understanding of the standard model. This is truly a masterful video! Bravo!

[jasonyee]

This channel is a gift to humanity. The ability to explain the complexity of the Standard Model without overwhelming the audience (at least me) is truly something special. I thought the pinnacle was achieved with the 2.5 hour episode...but you guys keeping producing masterpiece after masterpiece. BRAVO!

[BDB]

Usually videos like these help me drift off to sleep. With yours, no matter how drowsy I am, I fight sleep in order to watch more. You have a true gift. Thank you for sharing it with all of us.

[davidangel]

Written, organized, and presented with abundant clarity. This video answered so many of my longest-standing questions.

[brennaweller]

I've been suffering with repeated debilitating anxiety attacks, and these videos are one of the only things that give me comfort when it feels like I'm dying. They're softly spoken enough that it doesn't overstimulate me while still giving me something to (try) to focus my attention on instead. I never write comments, but your videos have gotten me through some of my worst imaginable moments. The gratitude that I have for your content is unquantifiable.

Thank you, History of the Universe. You have made a really tough couple of months a lot more bearable 🖤

[tylerhagaman]

Phenomenal video as always left a comment on one of your videos @HistoryoftheUniverse a year ago saying how these videos helped me get through the death of my mom and then best friend shortly after life is tough but a year later I’m still here I’m almost a year sober and following my passions like physics and astronomy I have a career now a wonderful girlfriend and dog and we all watch these videos now… it’s the little things like these videos, and this channel…times change life has ups and downs if your struggling right now just know things will get better, there’s always more to enjoy in life…like videos on this channel 😊

[bretrachelcooper]

All your videos are fantastic, each better than the previous. But this one may be your magnum opus. The runtime is daunting, but I was blown away with it's deepness and flow, the storytelling and connection to the brilliant minds making the discoveries. Its captivating and I felt myself yearning to go back and finish the video.

There is a certain beauty in learning how the real world works, how things actually behave, the complexity and simplicity. This video (and channel for that matter) captures that joy of learning and discovery and brings it to a level that untrained people can understand. A true gem. Its so good i see myself watchig it multiple times and hopefully I'll retain a bit more.

[Condorman]

This video was amazing. I'm an armchair physicist who failed calculus but I am fascinated with the quantum world and you have filled in so many blanks for me Thank you very much. I have already bookmarked it so I can watch it again.

[WrightFielder]

Excellent. You get an A+. I am 77 years old and a self-professed theoretical physicist and practicing professor of metaphysics. I wish to send a brief message that I believe builds just a wee bit atop this magnificent video. Actually, the GUT was proposed about 300 years ago by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, though insufficiently for today's ways. As I have taught history of science, both cosmologically, biologically, and sociologically over the last fifty years or so, I have leaned into this pyramid of multiple quantum field theories (I actually started with Paul Dirac and the "Sea of Dirac") and explored what I call the "true" quantum vibrational basement of Max Planck from a metaphysically historical examination of an infinite and eternal "field" of Leibniz's Monads. Perhaps, the term "monad" suggests a particle, but my research suggests that these little critters are actually ghostly triphasic and what I refer to as "W"holy Ghosts." (Yes, the W is actually for my last name and the obvious alliterative comparison of the religious symbolism as well as what we like to call "the Universe." These universally infinite and eternal little guys are simply vibrating "biodigitally" (my word) across time from appearing in a photonic phase to a gravitonic phase through a "chronotonic" phase (again, my word). Thus, we get an unmeasurably small vibration through time in the form I like to describe as a coin with two sides and a center of unmeasurable time. One side of the coin provides a "push or a shove" (photonically) upon other "monads" adjacent with it while the other side of the coin "sucks or breaths in" providing a gravitonic effect leading ultimately to "chaotic" star systems or "orderly" black holes while passing through a pyramid of quantum field levels cosmic evolution and devolution (Bully for the Buddha) as Carl Sagan once said. These events are caused by what many quantum physicists like to refer to as things like spin, color, and flavor leading to some variations of string theory. (I play the guitar just as poorly as I tell my story of metaphysical history and "cosmic evolution." I commend all who came before me on this quest for knowledge and hope that I can somehow contribute to a humanitarian view of where we came from and where we are going, along with a few suggestions on how might get there intelligently and with as little pain as possible. I sing of this next chapter in this cosmic story leading through what I envision as a "transhuman" (hopefully, not posthuman) evolutionary transformation engineered by our experience with what we like to call artificial generative intelligence (AGI). As what I like to think of as "the music of the spheres" vibrates through all eternity there will always be high notes and low notes as the beat goes on and I should note as I conclude this "relatively brief 'for me' comment, all of these vibrating monads do not vibrate "in phase" and the effects of this "wall-to-wall" vibration is the source of all symmetry (and asymmetrical effects) accounting for literally everything, and I would like to discuss this further with anyone interested in such "metaphysically theoretical proof." Alan Wright (aln)

[mcsammyboy]

Absolutely perfect, I honestly can't find the words to express the absolute joy and wonder that I get from all of your videos! This one in particular is one of my favorites, I usually learn at least 1 thing from each episode, but this one has cleared up an overall misunderstanding I had regarding the weak force and Higgs field. Thank you and I can't wait for the next one!

[weshoward]

This channel is so refreshing especially among all the AI cosmology redundancies on YouTube... I ordered from the website shop and will continue to support this channel! Keep up the excellent work!

[BDB]

I wish there was a dvd collection of your videos with a giant book available. I would shell out the money for something like that. Your stuff is phenomenal!

[jack.d]

Inital comment of a recent subscriber knowing this channel is of many creators; You people are truly gifted. The visuals, the audio, the script, the content. Another absolutely phenomenal masterpiece of scientific communication for the average person. A God-like presentation.

[CitizenSnpz]

This channel is so good, I’m really lucky I found it and I’m grateful to the creators for taking the time and making the effort to create this quality of content. You are masters at what you do 🙇‍♂️

[seanspartan]

Thank you for explaining g-factor and how it relates to magnetic dipole moment and the existence of virtual particles.
Thanks to you, I finally understand why the new measurements of the Muon moment were such big news in physics a few years back!

[raveon]

History of the universe series is so amazing! From the music, voice, cadence, topics, flow, everything. I always look forward to these and the production team does a great job!

[jeffreymartin]

One of the better episodes lately IMO. Simply superb. Love this channel.

[clovislyme]

The style is not identical (of course it should not be - times and the medium change), but these videos remind me (old as I am) of the glory days of the BBC's "Horizon" before it degenerated into CGI fuelled baby food. Brilliant and thank you.

[TheMasonX]

I was wondering how you regularly made such great long form science content, then I saw you had folks like Paul M. Sutter on your team and it all clicked. Keep up the great work, looking forward to the next one as always!