What is driving particle physics?

Particle physics research attempts to answer timeless questions – questions first asked thousands of years ago. In this video, Fermilab’s Dr. Don Lincoln gives an overview of some of the most pressing unanswered questions of physics and describes how it is that scientists are deciding which of these questions to pursue. It’s a grand question that draws the attention of the world’s scientific community.

Dark matter:

Complex dark matter:

Dark energy:

Quark structure:

Antimatter:

Missing antimatter:

Higgs mass:

Unified forces:

Proton decay:

Fermilab physics 101:

Fermilab home page:

[oliverkostanski]

Dr. Lincoln is the physics professor everyone wish they had.

[markdelag]

I’ve been listening to your lectures for years. I’m now 77 years old and I find I enjoy listening to you just as much as I did in the beginning, which shows that you must be doing something right. Physics IS everything!

[davetoms]

Loved this pause to revisit the core driving force behind so much research: _Curiosity._ Great video as always!

[sapelesteve]

Another informative & thought provoking video from Dr. Don & Fermilab! 👍👍👏👏

[russtaylor]

A new Fermilab video with Dr Don lifts my morning! Clarity and a warm voice - and still rocking the look! Thanks Dr Don and Ian.

[alessandromangiapia]

I have recently watched Sabine’s video on why she was disappointed with particle physics, and this is the most inspiring and thought provoking answer I have ever seen. Thank you for you work and dedication!

[ZBB]

I think that if I had seen this simple, direct overview when I was young I would have gone into physics!

[RedNomster]

I appreciate all the scientific speakers I've stumbled across. I'm especially grateful when those channels try to tackle deep mysteries of the universe, as science should, rather than tackle other scientists.

I've watched dozens of Don's videos, but the production of this one in particular was a class act. I'm subscribing to catch these more often!

[ashmomofboys]

Happy to have stumbled across this channel! Thanks for the great video.

[BAROMETERONE]

I like this guy. It's refreshing to see Dr. Don describing where we are at with physics in a realistic and balanced way. Humility and open mind instead of being smug and arrogant. This is what we need to find more truth/facts.

[williamgatling]

In a world that thinks it knows everything, it was great to hear a list of the unanswered questions that remain. Time is such a basic building block, but it might be more complicated than we assume.

[JakubS]

I'm learning how to write cuneiform on clay tablets, and I'm very surprised to see one of those tablets in the very thumbnail of a new video by my favourite Physics YouTube channel! Great video as always, Don!

[GustavoValdiviesso]

Dr Lincoln, it's great to hear your words on this. You probably know that one of our physics colleagues, Sabine Hossenfelder, has a public and somewhat negative stance on the current way particle physics works. In my humble opinion, she is being biased, but who am I to say. And that is exactly why you should invite her for a debate 😊 If nothing else, it would be entertaining and informative.

[Grandunifiedcelery]

9:49 I'm afraid it's not Koshiba or Kajita...

[LynxUrbain]

What I like about science, is that the answer to a question often leads to many others. Somehow it's totally inefficient, like art, poetry, ... and that's really cool!
I wondered if a voluntary and kind of "applied science" oriented approach (P5) is really a positive thing, many discoveries having been made through unconventional methods and serendipity!
What an astonishment all of this would be, for some of the physicists of the late 19th century, who had foreseen the "end of physics"!

[johntipper]

Thank you Don. Another thought provoking video.

[Valdagast]

Sabine Hossenfelder is one of those who has spoken out against building new particle accelerators. I would love a discussion between Dr Lincoln and Dr Hossenfelder about this. Not a debate, a discussion.

[misterphmpg]

You should not forget one important reason why this high end research is important: It gives the best heads of the whole world countless opportunities to really push their theoretical and practical abilities to the absolute possible limits of today's best technical and mathematical achievements and beyond. So in stunning groups of young and also experienced scientists everybody learns from each other and from experiment controlled either by mathematical proof or by experimental data (never by just a selfish boss). There is no better motivation to learn than this. Eventually many of these experts leave university and hire jobs in the free market. And here they are very successful because they have been trained to solve the most difficult problems. So science also is a giant school for experts! And that's an enormous and not payable benefit for society in general. Every cent spent on science comes back hundredfold by this "educational mechanism".

[SxWerks]

Physics is magical and Dr Lincoln is a magician at helping me to a deeper understanding of reality.

[hermosafieldsforever]

It's true, the delivery of information can awaken higher cognitive understanding when the style of the message and information is given in a way that recognizes everyone's ability to think. What a wonderful way to approach these incredible concepts. Thank you for your open and sincere clarity. I wish you were my graduate professor. Sub'd and thumbs up!