A New Physics Breakthrough Could Change Everything

“New physics” is a catch-all term for fundamentally new discoveries in physics (such as dark matter, quantum gravity, or a theory of everything) which push the boundaries of how we understand our reality. How could new discoveries in these areas of research affect our lives? Let’s take a look at what knowledge and practical use we could potentially gain.

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#science #physics

[christopherboreham]

Thanks Sabine, Love your video's, Merry Christmas to you and your family, cheers ...

[victorsago]

150 years ago, many physicists thought that everything important has already been discovered, and all that remains is more and more precise measurements. And then Planck tried to resolve the "Ultraviolet Catastrophe"... The point is, nobody can predict what new physics can do, or how it can be applied, until we have discovered it.

[blinkingmanchannel]

I love your videos! ❤ This one again covers materials I mistakenly thought I was starting to grasp. Nope! But to me this means I learn something every time you drop a new video!👍

[alvarofernandez]

All microchips are "quantum", to a non-trivial extent. So at least in principle, the technologies and devices available in the microchip industry ought to allow us to access and manipulate aspects of quantum gravity, if and when we get a suitable candidate for experimental verification.

So I speculate: if it is physically possible to create gravitational devices, they will be based upon nano-lithographic structures, and built by microchip manufacturers.

[Amir_]

I think the most straightforward application for a breakthrough in physics would be smaller and faster transistors, and I am not talking about quantum computers. Modern semiconductor tech has to fight against quantum affects in both malfunctioning and operation.

Fun fact, flash memory is based on quantum tunneling. The gate of a mosfet is physically sealed, locking it into a on or off state, then electrons are made to tunnel in or out of the gate to change state.

[HarrydeBont]

Your reflections feel like a call for awakening, not just in physics but in how we approach progress as a collective. The question, ‘What problem are we solving?’ resonates far beyond science—it challenges us to confront whether our pursuits align with deeper truths or merely distract us.

This video reminded me of the importance of clarity and purpose in both individual and societal efforts. Progress isn't just about solving puzzles or achieving breakthroughs; it's about engaging with complexity in a way that brings us closer to understanding ourselves and our place in the world.

Your call to contribute—rather than passively await solutions—is such a powerful reminder. It’s through collective curiosity, courage, and alignment that we move forward, not just as scientists or thinkers but as a species. Thank you for framing this so clearly.

[ericsmith]

A grand unified theory and explanation of dark matter/MOND would have practical applications! It would save us a lot of money currently being spent on discovering a GUT/DM/MOND!

[MPenzlin]

As far as I have heard:
When Einstein realised that his theory would predict gravitational waves, he probably said that the effect was so small that it would never be possible to measure them. And vola: that is exactly what we are doing now.
And he said that at a time when his theory was already finished.
Now someone is saying that a theory cannot be applied before the theory has even been developed??

When I studied physics from 87 to 93: Blue LEDs are impossible
Shortly before: Superconductors with a Tc greater than 35 Kelvin are impossible.

It would be interesting to have a list of physical impossibilities that were actually possible...

[richj]

I am an Engineer by trade. I deal in the practical application of physical and physics principles. If there is a new "law" that I can exploit, I will exploit it. If there is a new quantum law that I can exploit, again I will see if it can be applied to a new tool or way of building something. So, I am fine with scientists researching and learning about the physical principles that makes up existence. By the way, just because I can't see a current use, doesn't mean that other Engineers with a different set of problems that need tools to address won't.

[ferenckovacs]

00:35 That was a wild change of pace/topic!

[andywe]

Very nice summary, Sabine. This was realy good. Thanks!

[jamto]

Thanks Sabine. I’m a Mechanical Engineer of 40 years experience and I see so many go from problem to solution without defining anything of substance or consequence. There is no math, trends, graphs, predictions, or results. When the field of physics introduced the phrase, “Evidence Suggest”, it raised a red flag to say they have gone the path of laziness. They have become to dependent on the computer rather than hard thinking with roll-your-sleeves-up imagination and work. “Evidence Suggest” is a relative of the media’s use of “Sources Say”. A tactic and deception of media to shape the truth rather than investigate and find the truth

[JRKyt]

Thrilling stuff: moving from the largest to smallest things and their effects and relationships in the universe; commenting on the theoretical and practical impacts of discovery; reminding us that what some trumpet as a monumental achievement may, instead, be brouhaha. Elegant, informative, fun, even: everything in just over 10 minutes. Brilliant, Sabine! Thank you, again!

[josephhalwagy]

Well said. Thank you Sabine. I have been asking the same questions, have been getting dumb looks from my colleagues

[tair]

Excellent topic!!! You are SIMPLY DA BEST, as always, liebe Sabine!

[azadr]

Thank you for your great channel and videos. As a lay person interested in science, this is one of few channels that I can understand and follow.

[rwesenberg]

"Physics" includes many fields of study that do have practical applications. Physics is more than just theorists looking for " Grand Unified Theory" of everything. My concentration, for example, was in experimental atmospheric physics and atmospheric electricity. My career included work in engineering physics, heliophysics, planetology, and astronomy. Too many theorists have divorced themselves from experimental and engineering physics.

[Adam_Lyskawa]

I'm not physicist, but playing Master of Orion has alerted me to a scenario, that "the scientists discovered that our sun will explode in 10 years and we have to do something quickly to prevent it" ;) And then "new physics" might become handy to build a device that prevent our broken sun from exploding ;) BTW, the game mechanics worked treating research basically like a kind of currency. By funding research you received research points that allowed to advance the tech in the game.

[michaelrubbo]

I am an electrical engineer (applied electromagnetics) working in corporate applied research and new product development. In the corporate applied research world that I experienced, the "big question" used to evaluate the benefit of working/spending money on a topic was ""So what?" While this experiencve may not apply to fundamental or basic research at university or government labs, this question was used to focus our corporate research dollars to provid bigger "bang for the buck" in improvement of existing products/processes or on technologies that could radically disrupt existing products/technologies. I think there is a general understanding in research that we can never know all of the potential upsides to new developments in a technology or science, and that the "killer app" for a new technology is not often the answer to the "So what?" question that drove the research in the first place. As a tool for evaluating what new research to sponsor, it can be a valuable guide. Having said all this, sometimes intellectual curiosity should be allowed to be our muse for discovery, I just wouldn't fund it with 50% of my research budget.

[billmcleangunsmith]

Trying to understand the usefulness of things we don't understand by using things we do understand is rather like a seventeenth-century scientist trying to understand the usefulness of electricity when all he knows is lightning.