Why was Sam Altman fired from OpenAI? 3 Theories

Today we’ll talk about the leading theories for why Sam Altman got fired from OpenAI, cosmic rays with HUGE energies, evidence of a an overdue supervolcano eruption near Italy, an exoplanet on which it rains sand, Microsoft’s first AI-chip, why spiral galaxies like the Milky Way are so rare, how climate engineering could save the Antarctic, cannibalistic stars, and of course the telephone will ring.

This video comes with a quiz!

Long COVID is real, but may be overestimated

Estimates say that as many as 1 in 10 people who had COVID were still affected more than 3 months later. This health condition has become known as long COVID. In this video, we will be discussing what long COVID is, how long it last, how common it is, what you should do if you think you’re affected, and more.


NEW: This video comes with a quiz on QuizWithIt.

Mars glows green - and it's not an aurora

Today we talk about why Mars glows green, an amazingly cool way to make magnets hover, a study which found that a supposed piece of alien tech isn’t alien tech, surprising absolutely no one, plans to use the entire moon as a gravitational wave detector, progress with D-wave’s quantum computer, why Saturn’s rings will temporarily become invisible, wires that learn, energy from indoor lights, and of course, the telephone will ring.

This video comes with a quiz!

Is Science Dying?

Is science coming to an end? On the one hand, it seems like scientific progress has slowed to a crawl and no big breakthroughs are happening any more. On the other hand, we are left with many unsolved problems in science that I am pretty sure have a solution. In this video I explain why I think that we need to seriously consider the possibility that we live in the final phase of scientific discovery.

New Gaia data might just have killed MOND

Today we have an update on the biggest astrophysics drama of the year, that’s an observation which seems to be ruling out the most popular alternative to dark matter. Then we have a group of geologists who claim that parts of the moon are stuck in the mantle of earth, a new and quite plausible explanation for the sudden dimming and brightening of the star Betelgeuse, plans for a smaller and more energy-efficient particle collider, the first full colour images from the EUCLID mission, earthquakes in the laboratory, a microscopic engine with record efficiency, plans to produce hydrogen with small nuclear reactors, climate scientists who say we’d be better off cooking with synthetic oil, and of course, the telephone will ring.

This video comes with a quiz!

I think net zero goals are bonkers, here's why

Everyone is talking about Net Zero. But Net Zero what? What does this even mean? Is it a reasonable goal? How far are we on the way? And do we have any chance of reaching it? For this video, we have collected all facts and numbers that you need to join the discussion.


NEW: This video comes with a quiz on QuizWithIt.

Asteroid dust killed dinosaurs, new study says

his week we have new evidence that the dinosaurs were killed by the aftermath of an asteroid impact, then we have a look at the biggest universe simulation ever, talk about a lost continent that’s been found, roman ruins in spy footage, a new record for a single photon camera, an asteroid that might contain chemical elements which are not in the periodic table, super lightning bolts, solar glass, and of course, the telephone will ring.

This video comes with a quiz!

Physicist reacts to quantum mechanics

In this video, I review and rate memes about quantum mechanics based on their accuracy, effectiveness, and funniness. It’s quite possible that you don’t want to know what I think, but I’ll tell you anyway.


NEW: This video comes with a quiz on QuizWithIt.

The sun's magnetic field will probably flip sooner than expected

Science never rests and this week we have quite a selection of news. It looks like the sun’s magnetic field will flip earlier than expected, the moon is 40 million years older than anyone thought, a group of geologists have found that Earth’s core is leaking, we’ll have a look at the tiniest particle accelerator ever, why airline pricing is such a mess, hear what the International energy agency has to say about the condition of our electric grids, how physics improves protein folding predictions, the most water-repellent surface ever, and of course, the telephone will ring.

This video comes with a quiz!

Ozempic and Wegovy: All you need to know about the new weight-loss drugs

The weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic seem god-sent solutions for everyone who’s been struggling to lose weight, a miracle cure for a problem that befalls billions of people, even Elon Musk. But what makes the drug so effective? What do we know about it? And who’s going to pay for it?


NEW: This video comes with a quiz on QuizWithIt.

Coin tosses are not fair -- science says so

Today we talk about why coin flips are not fifty-fifty, starquakes, the most powerful solar storm ever, space debris, IBM’s new brain-inspired computer chip, an exoplanet collision, a new tectonic plate, projections for AI power consumption, and of course the telephone will ring.

This video comes with a quiz!

How does quantum mechanics give rise to parallel universes?

The idea of parallel universes has captured the imagination of many. In physics, it's prominently represented by the “Many Worlds” interpretation of quantum mechanics. In this video, I want to explain how the Many Worlds Interpretation works. Is it science? Does it solve any problems? And are the parallel universes real?


NEW: This video comes with a quiz on QuizWithIt.

3 New Laws of Nature in One Week!

This week we talk about three new laws of nature, one of which supposedly shows that we live in a computer simulation. We’ll have a first look at intergalactic filaments, talk about building roads on the moon, whether chatbots understand what they chat about, a new type of qubit with a low error rate, sound waves in crystals, how to deflect lasers with nothing but air, dunes on mars, the first hurricane prediction market, and of course, the telephone will ring.

This video comes with a quiz!

Is time travel possible?

What does physics say about time travel? Surprisingly enough it doesn't just say it's impossible, it's more complicated that that. In this video I'll sort out what Einstein's general relativity and quantum mechanics tell us about time travel. And is MIT really building a time machine to find dark matter? We'll get to that.


NEW: This video comes with a quiz on QuizWithIt.

Planet Mercury is Shrinking

Today we’ll talk about a new candidate for a cosmic string, the mysterious shrinking of planet Mercury, a nuclear clock, the first quantum engine, a simulator for human diseases, whether we can find new physics with spinning black holes, AI that wants to help find aliens, how to compute with photons, and of course, the telephone will ring.

This video comes with a quiz!

Quantum Computing Newcomers: 2023 Update

In this video I look at what happened in quantum computing recently. In particular I want to talk about some newcomers like topological quantum computing, photonic computing, and optical tweezers. And whatever happened to ion traps?



NEW: This video comes with a quiz on QuizWithIt.

Physics Nobel Prize 2023 for Super-Short Laser Pulses

Today we’ll talk about the Nobel Prize in physics, yet another superconductor retraction, whether Integrated Information theory is pseudoscience, why antimatter doesn’t anti-gravitate, sand that flows uphill which I swear has nothing to do with antigravity, the world’s most powerful X-ray laser, how life could come about on other planets, why we might go extinct sooner than expected, and of course, the telephone will ring.

This video comes with a quiz!

How I reached 1 Million Subscribers on YouTube -- And you can, too.

We’ve made it to 1 million subscribers! Thank you all for making this happen. To honour the occasion, I want to summarize some of my thoughts about how YouTube works and what works on YouTube.



Transcript, links to references, and discussion on Patreon.

Quantum Computing at Room Temperature?

Today we’ll talk about raisins. Yes, raisins. Quasars with dark matter halos, pink diamonds, the last moments of a dying satellite, a new type of qubit, maybe, how to measure the length of the day with lasers, a new treatment method for brain cancer that’s got something to do with quantum mechanics, whether climate change drives migration, and of course, the telephone will ring.

Transcript, links to references, and discussion on Patreon.

A written version of our weekly Science News goes out on Substack
NEW: We now also have a podcast!

Does the Universe have a Purpose?

If people knew one thing about Steven Weinberg, it’d be a quote from one of his books: “The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless.” In this video, I want to speculate about what he might have meant. Is the universe pointless?



Transcript, links to references, and discussion on Patreon.