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We’ve misplaced the building blocks of the cosmos — and particle physicists like Claire Malone are on a mission to find them. Despite scientists hitting a “major snag” in uncovering what exactly makes up dark matter and dark energy, she explains how questioning our fundamental understanding of nature itself invites a different, more meaningful perspective universally.
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Transcriber:
Have you ever taken
your 3-D glasses off at the cinema?
The picture looks blurry
and it can be difficult to see
exactly what is happening.
This is because 3-D glasses
trick our brain into forming a 3-D image
by controlling the color
of the light that each sees
using a different filter in each lens.
You could say sometimes seeing things
from a different perspective
can make them look clearer
and easier to understand.
This is exactly the approach
that has helped me with my research,
looking to answer some
of the most fundamental questions
we have about our universe.
To put this in a different context,
I could see some people finding my voice
difficult to understand
due to my cerebral palsy
as an insurmountable barrier
to giving a TED Talk.
Even if I saw that there are
alternative ways
for people who have difficulties
with communication
to speak to an audience,
I could be put off from using them,
thinking that this dry computerized
voice has no life in it
and would put you all to sleep
within five minutes.
Alternatively, I could see the dodgy
female British synthesized voice
as something to be embraced,
pepper this talk with jokes and gags,
sometimes at the poor
communication aid’s expense,
and hopefully make you laugh
and keep you engaged
with what I want to tell you about.
Luckily for you, I have chosen
the second option.
And what do I want to tell you about?
I’m here to tell you
that we have completely misplaced
96 percent of the entire universe,
everything in existence.
That’s an awful lot of missing socks.
I am a particle physicist
analyzing data from the Large
Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland
to answer the most fundamental
questions about our universe.
At school, I was the archetypal geeky kid
just wanting to get the other lessons done
to get into the science lab.
My work now focuses
on what I truly believe
is one of the greatest achievements
of scientific research
in the last century.
A scientific model that describes
the properties and behavior
of all the known particles
in the universe.
And as particle physicists
have no imagination,
we call it the Standard Model.
For me, having one model
with so much power
is as close as science gets
to describing nature
at its most basic level.
When I first heard
about the Standard Model,
it really blew my mind
and gave me the passion
to focus on my studies in physics.
But I also knew
that I would have to think about them
a little differently
to my fellow students.
For example, I had to demonstrate
in examinations that I had understood
the practical techniques
that I had been taught.
Due to my disability,
I don’t have enough control of my hands
to be able to pick up
laboratory equipment and use it.
So I had to effectively borrow
someone else’s hands.
I practiced giving extremely detailed
instructions to my assistant
about how to use the equipment
in order to perform the experiment.
Seeing experiments from the perspective
of a series of instructions
that I had to give as clearly as possible
really helped me get
into the mindset I needed
to understand how I could perform well
in my practicals, which I did.
Recognizing that I was able
to look at such issues in a different way,
helped me to find the tenacity
to persevere with mastering
the practical side
of my scientific studies
rather than letting my physical
limitations stop me.
Now, my research with
the Large Hadron Collider
involves me writing a lot of code
to analyze the data
used to study the standard model.
I dictate what I would like
my assistants to type,
as typing it for myself
would be too slow and effortful.
It does take a slightly different mindset
to speak your work rather than write it,
especially when all
the education you receive
is aimed at people who can quickly
scribble things down.
However, I have found that telling myself
that I am doing basically
the same actions as everyone else
has helped me to understand how to proceed
in pursuing my passion for physics.
Now, you know how I do my research.
Let’s get back to my favorite model
and hopefully yours after this talk,
because unfortunately,
we have a bit of a major snag.
The Standard Model only describes
four percent of the universe.
To understand why,
you have to look
at how fast galaxies are spinning.
Newton’s laws tell us
that they would simply fly apart
if there wasn’t some other kind
of massive substance within them
to bring them together.
This missing mass is called dark matter,
and we observe that it accounts
for 23 percent of the universe.
So what about the rest?
Well, the discovery that the expansion
of the universe is accelerating
rather than decelerating
due to gravitational attraction,
points to the existence of a force
acting against gravity.
We call this force dark energy,
and it accounts for the remaining
73 percent of the universe.
Neither dark matter nor dark energy
are included in the Standard Model.
So there is a staggering
96 percent of the universe
that we know absolutely nothing about.
Therefore, it turns out
that my favorite model,
that I thought could describe
every particle in the universe,
isn’t as all encompassing
as I initially thought.
So is there a way to look at the particles
that are already described
by the Standard Model differently
in order to discover
these absent particles?
You might think that we would be
racking our brains to design detectors
that could produce some kind of photograph
of these elusive particles
to prove that they are there.
Surely if you want to find
something that’s missing,
that’s the general approach
you have to take, right?
Wrong.
We actually just have to accept the fact
that these missing particles
are not going to interact
with our detectors,
whatever we do.
But that’s not game over.
In the same way that I didn’t give up
on being able to do
laboratory experiments myself,
but instead used someone else’s hands,
we use the particles that we can detect
to spy on the particles
that we think are there but hiding.
At the Large Hadron Collider,
we accelerate particles to speeds
very close to the speed of light
such that they smash into each other
and release enormous amounts of energy.
We use protons that are found in the atoms
that comprise all the matter
that we see around us,
including you and me.
However, it is when these protons
collide head on
that the really interesting
physics happens.
Such colossal amounts
of energy are released
that particles that are fundamentally
different from the protons
that we began with
are created.
It’s a bit like if you smashed
two apples against each other,
expecting them to turn into something
completely different,
like a pile of cherries.
Using extremely sophisticated detectors,
we are able to tell what kinds
of particles have been made,
but only the types we already know about.
So how are we going to find these
other mysterious particles?
Fortunately, a fundamental law
of nature comes to our rescue
and allows us to study these particle
collisions from a different perspective.
Energy can neither be created
nor destroyed, only transferred.
If you add up the energy of the particles
before and after the collision,
you would find that they are equal.
We know the energy of the protons
entering the collision
and we make very sensitive measurements
of the energy of the particles
that come out.
If those two energies are not identical,
alarm bells start to ring.
Perhaps one of the principles
that underpin our understanding of nature,
conservation of energy, is incorrect.
Or as everyone is hoping,
the missing energy
could have been stolen by particles
that elude our detectors
and could help us answer some
of the most fundamental questions
we have in physics today.
Now, I know what you are going to ask me.
Have you found the missing particles yet?
Sadly, we haven’t.
Some people might see this
as a reason to lose hope
that we are ever going to fully understand
the basic building blocks of the cosmos.
However, I believe that this is perhaps
the most exciting time
to be conducting fundamental physics
as we have so much left to discover.
But aside from thinking about some
of the most exciting questions in science,
I find that being open to seeing
a situation from a different perspective
is most meaningful
when applied on a personal scale.
It encourages you to seek out
the positive in each person
and situation, no matter how difficult,
and use it to bring out
not only our own potential,
but that of those around us.
I feel this is something
we could all benefit from at the moment.
It doesn’t always mean that you will find
what you’re looking for right away
or that it will be easy.
But for me, this mindset helped me
get where I am today,
and it keeps me going.
Looking at the world around us today,
we are surrounded by big questions
without obvious answers.
Perhaps by embracing
a new way of thinking,
by being truly open to other people
who don’t share our perspective,
we might just be able
to discover new solutions
to the problems we are all facing.
Thank you.
Science & Technology5 years ago
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William Hartley
August 6, 2021 at 5:03 pm
The standard model describes the universe up to the speed of light. But what says the speed of light is an absolute limit other than our refusal to see things differently? … What if dark energy and dark matter is simply that part of the universe outside of this constraint and exists beyond the speed of light? It would still have the influence of gravity we observe and puzzle over. … In 1400 the Sun revolved around the Earth. In 1800 distant galaxies were nebulas. What will we know in 2200 that is inconceivable now?
Antonio Usai
August 6, 2021 at 6:15 pm
You need to prove things. You can imagine whatever you want, but until it conforms to all current experimental observations it remains just advanced math.
William Hartley
August 6, 2021 at 6:30 pm
@Antonio Usai …That’s the whole point of my question. There is no proof because dogmatic adherence to the Standard Model refuses to consider the possibility. … I offer instead an analogy: I can’t find my car keys. They are not on the hook by the door. They are not in the pocket of the pants I wore yesterday and they are not on the table by the door to the garage. I have seen evidence they exist. But I cannot see them now. Should I therefore assume they no longer exist just because I refused to look beyond my limited imagination? … I have obviously seen evidence that indicates something exists to start the car with, just like I have seen evidence that something exists with strong effects on the universe around it. But, as in my analogy, by not looking past what i “know to be true” (where the car keys always are) I cannot find what I am looking for.
Antonio Usai
August 6, 2021 at 6:52 pm
@William Hartley
You’re talking about the DOGMA of the Standard Model when it only describes particles and can’t provide an explanation to the cosmological observations.
So scientists already know the standard model is “incomplete”, it will necessitate some integration into a wider unifying theory that includes General Relativity, an explanation for the asymmetry of matter in the Universe, and an explanation to the cosmological expansion; which all are points not directly explainable by the Standard model.
William Hartley
August 6, 2021 at 7:33 pm
@Antonio Usai …I’m asking a simple question. In the video Ms. Malone points out when when smash two protons together and look at the results a tiny little something is missing. She posits a particle not yet theorized or sensors not sensitive enough. In the overall spirit of her narrative, I’m asking if maybe we cannot find the “tiny bit of something missing” because we refuse to look beyond our current theories (I used the Standard Model as an example). … I’m not a particle physicist or cosmologist. But I am spurred by a question I had in high school in the early 1970s. The dogma at the time was that immediately after the Big Bang the universe was perfectly smooth. I wondered, “Why would anyone ever think such a silly thing? How could that possibly be true?” Turns out it wasn’t true. So now I ask simply, “Why do we insist the speed of light is an impenetrable barrier? Why would anyone think such a silly thing?”
FirstNation
August 6, 2021 at 5:25 pm
Shes the female version of Stephen Hawking.
True Crime Queen TV
August 6, 2021 at 5:41 pm
Loving your content! Stay safe everyone 💖💖💖
commentator
August 6, 2021 at 5:42 pm
She-ven Hawking
sparkdaniel
August 6, 2021 at 5:44 pm
So a video about her disability and not the 96%. Should make the title as so. I mean great for her being who she is. But it is not what the title bsaid
Ligia Sommers
August 6, 2021 at 5:47 pm
Absolutely inspiring in every sense 🙏🏻💖🌹
SkozLoz Laurie
August 6, 2021 at 5:57 pm
Wow
Shawn Hawkins
August 6, 2021 at 6:20 pm
Why?
It is simple.
The Coming Kingdom of God does not come with outward observence, but from within The Man.
Darkness is fleeing what is being revealed in , His Chosen.
Repent. You name the matter Dark.
The name, is Jesus. Amen.
M G
August 6, 2021 at 6:23 pm
Very inspirational and thought-provoking. Thank you for this video.
Sannidor
August 6, 2021 at 6:41 pm
That’s a lot of nonsense and pseudoscience. We don’t know what the Universe is.
We may never know due to limitations of our minds, not just bodies or technology.
Dr John D.
August 6, 2021 at 6:46 pm
More nonsense about the “universe”. Dark matter, dark energy and mathemagics for the gulliable believers.
Julia Kaczmarek
August 6, 2021 at 7:04 pm
What an amazing, intelligent and beautiful woman.
Dr. Ricco Lindner
August 6, 2021 at 7:23 pm
And still we have no idea where all the socks go! I propose, Dark Matter consists of all the miaaing socks in the universe 😂
Thank you for sharing your mind and attitude with us! Luckily speech software improves a lot!
izzie
August 6, 2021 at 8:40 pm
Maybe thats the smell of the ozone layer?!
Kirk Bufford
August 6, 2021 at 9:08 pm
How do you know we’ve discovered 4%?
Krista W
August 6, 2021 at 9:43 pm
Supposedly Einstein said that if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. She understands her subject very well. She made this presentation interesting, funny and accessible to regular people. I think having to give instructions to her assistants has probably helped her to understand her subject so much better! She is a beautiful person, I hope she has a long and enjoyable/productive life
Vatr Weaver
August 6, 2021 at 9:47 pm
I lessen many talkinges about that elusive dark… and you did summa summarum.
How about you are not going to find no “particle” ever. How about particle is already “crushed” by, let say space _ time. Or, something 💯 different we can’t figure out. Particles, particles, particles, this universe is made of…Otherwise, there is no particle anywhere…. there is only Eternity…the horror of it all.
0 0
August 6, 2021 at 10:14 pm
Brave, beautiful, and extraordinary!
HansonProMusic
August 6, 2021 at 10:47 pm
Beautiful.
robert Last
August 6, 2021 at 11:07 pm
Fascinating how intelligent some people are. Where would we be without scientists? So many questions I have.
Priince
August 6, 2021 at 11:09 pm
Plot twist: she doesn’t know what’s going on someone just rolled her onto the stage and started playing a recording
leolita2001
August 7, 2021 at 2:08 pm
What is wrong with you. Honestly this woman has overcome so much and achieved so much despite her disability, she is an academic and a scientist. How can you even make jokes about it
Janet Deci Bell
August 7, 2021 at 4:44 pm
Are you do threatened by her intelligence that you had to try to show yours with a cheap joke?
Fyi I don’t think it worked…
She Reads ☮️ She Scries
August 6, 2021 at 11:26 pm
So if the universe is the ocean, science has found the minerals in the water, but not the water itself…
Coldcrush
August 7, 2021 at 12:11 am
I hate myself for cracking up at those faces she’s making.
Henry Seldon
August 7, 2021 at 1:29 am
No, thank you. It’s a lot to think about, the universe, and I need all the help I can get to understand even a fraction of it. Thanks for your help.
BBMcDee
August 7, 2021 at 1:57 am
Go Claire! I love the point you made about learning more about yourself through having to instruct others. That’s so true! I think it helps us put things into order when we have to explain them to others.
Love the analogy you drew between using other particles and using other hands. Nice!
Granjacia
August 7, 2021 at 2:43 am
Youd think they have improved the alexa type voices tho, I mean from a tech persective, why can’t it just sound like a normal voice? Theres just no way Im going to get through it and thats just a shame
justanotherperson
August 7, 2021 at 5:41 am
I wait for the day when Ted actually comes onto this
Nicholas Westbury
August 7, 2021 at 6:17 am
Good on her.
PleiadianDreams
August 7, 2021 at 10:36 am
Humanity manifested 2,100 years dictatorship, we had Freedom for an era and now does the Dutch government say that the old normal will disappear. When we realize reality, then do we discover dictatorship which ever way you look which has been manifested in a period of 70 to 20 years. Regards, Alex.
Nilanjana Ghosh
August 7, 2021 at 10:42 am
Universe continues to surprise us.I hope ,quite paradoxically, that humans or anything can never be able to exhaust all the secrets of the universe … great respect for your indomitable spirit.
James Mcmillan
August 7, 2021 at 1:04 pm
Trying to understand the universe is like a single human cell looking at its surroundings and trying to understand the whole structure. It’s amazing how much we’ve learned thanks to people like you.
existncDOTcom
August 7, 2021 at 2:46 pm
.”By the toil of others we are led into the presence of things which have been brought from darkness into light.” – Seneca
Mikey B
August 7, 2021 at 2:50 pm
Thank you Claire
Roy Feely
August 7, 2021 at 5:51 pm
A truly astonishing and inspirational scientist. Thank you for your explanation.
GlennSteffy
August 7, 2021 at 5:57 pm
FINALLY!! A BADDASS SPEAKER…….. and from ted, of all places… KUDOS !!! AND…. I saw you do EVERY WORD in your presentation!! DAMN!!
平和
August 7, 2021 at 8:23 pm
Simply brilliant!
Motivation Redefined #HM
August 7, 2021 at 8:51 pm
God bless u
Sune Ricardo Holt
August 7, 2021 at 9:54 pm
Power to you ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Sune Ricardo Holt
August 7, 2021 at 10:04 pm
And what a lovely spin to particles psychics… or personalized way of describing it 😀
i i
August 8, 2021 at 12:09 am
Once I got used to it I like the sound of her voice 🙂
Ron Leak
August 8, 2021 at 12:43 am
She elogently presents and she personally presents as per her life the 96 percent of what we don’t know about anything
Ron Leak
August 8, 2021 at 12:44 am
Find a better hairdresser
Sahil
August 8, 2021 at 2:07 am
Great Ted Talk!! Quite inspiring 🔥
Rob Kilpat
August 8, 2021 at 4:12 am
In the beginning…………………….God.
Adonis Nesser
August 8, 2021 at 4:32 am
Absolute genius
Uzor Stanley
August 8, 2021 at 8:56 am
I am forever grateful to Dr IGUDIA on YouTube who cured me from Diabetes disease with his herbal medication, you are so real and trusted.
MOHAMMED SALIM
August 8, 2021 at 5:30 pm
Thanks to Dr IGUDIA on YouTube who cured me from my Diabetes disease with his herbs medication.
Tyler Hore
August 8, 2021 at 8:11 pm
This sparked joy in me for so many reasons. Thank you Claire <3
Invox
August 8, 2021 at 10:36 pm
Wow… Just wow!
Now this is empowering women AND empowering disability people. What strenght!
We should do better by her and all like her… We can do better.
artattackchannel
August 8, 2021 at 11:36 pm
Snapped out of existence
Ronald Dan Caliva
August 9, 2021 at 5:30 am
We can never explain all what’s been going on in the universe,it will take lots of studies for us to totally comprehend what universe has to offer..biblical Truth
Vihren Belov
August 9, 2021 at 11:49 am
If it’s string theory we already have the equations, we just need to lock in the constants to solve them. If it’s not string theory we have the models we just need to find the equations.
Andrew
August 9, 2021 at 5:33 am
Computers are taking over the world
TheDemonic Spawn
August 9, 2021 at 9:54 am
How do those voice bots work? It’s not typed I know that, it doesn’t seem to be physically connected either?
TheDemonic Spawn
August 9, 2021 at 9:59 am
It appears to be connected to her brain waves.
leolita2001
August 9, 2021 at 5:25 pm
It is typed I believe and she can let the computer talk the sentences… I think Stephen Hawking used muscles in his cheek, not sure what she uses
Rifaldo Palaska
August 9, 2021 at 10:16 am
I’m sorry but this is funny
Eroxil
August 9, 2021 at 2:32 pm
Shes insanely smart. Waiting to see her grow
MOHAMMED SALIM
August 10, 2021 at 12:20 pm
You’re truly a life saver Dr IGUDIA on YouTube.I’m now living a very comfortable life after using your medication to cure my herpes disease
Adam Jeayes
August 10, 2021 at 9:51 pm
Very interesting talk, nice one Claire!
Gaasuba Meskhenet
August 11, 2021 at 2:55 am
How many people just as powerful are ignored because they “didn’t try hard enough”
Barbara Jean Lemon67
August 11, 2021 at 10:25 am
Thank you very much Dr IGUDIA on YouTube for the herbs medication you prepared and sent to me in curing my Diabetes disease. I now text negative after using the medication.
Muhammad X
August 11, 2021 at 11:25 am
Marvelous.. I failed to understand why someone may dislike such video
Saii Saii
August 11, 2021 at 12:39 pm
Thank you, Bless you 🤎✨
Adrian Jenkin
August 11, 2021 at 1:39 pm
Interesting but I nearly turned off about half way through when she had not started talking about the subject of the talk yet.
C-anon W
August 12, 2021 at 6:12 pm
46 people are too stupid to understand what she was talking about
alok
August 13, 2021 at 10:44 am
Love from india mam💯💯🥰🥰🥰
Richa Modanwal
August 13, 2021 at 2:43 pm
So inspiring ❤️.Thank you Ted community for bringing people with such talents intellect and inspiring stories.Her perspective has really changed my perspective.
Milan S
August 13, 2021 at 3:22 pm
Very cool
Bret Netherton
August 13, 2021 at 3:54 pm
Awareness is known by awareness alone…
srtghfnbfg
August 15, 2021 at 6:09 am
Amazing lady, but useless video.. i got taught nothing =v except maybe to “use another perspective” which is kind of obvious when you’re banging your head at hard problems every day..
Barbara J Peterson
August 15, 2021 at 7:48 pm
May God keep blessing Dr IGUDIA on YouTube for his kind heart in getting the cure for herpes disease. I’m no more a carrier of herpes disease after using his herbs medication
Atilla Göktan+Listen Turkey = Live Radio Stations
August 16, 2021 at 11:49 am
Google : Listen 📻 Turkey
Ahmad Zaim Hilmi
August 17, 2021 at 4:23 pm
Interesting insights about the universe… Now back to watching cat vs balloons videos.
Lebogang Sekhaolela
August 18, 2021 at 12:23 am
And she so beautiful…
driverbirch
August 20, 2021 at 1:24 pm
The octagonal constellations have been prevalent in the minds of burmese cats since they were introduced to the wider world it is an matter of fact that they have eyebrows that are the same colour as their face this helps them when hunting at night as their prey cannot see their dark eyes so the element of surprise is not lost I know all this because our burmese Choķkie girl has told me good night🤣😻
Dijon John
August 22, 2021 at 12:31 am
I am confused by this talk. Isn’t what she is describing the work of hundreds of people?
Alexandre Boudreau
August 22, 2021 at 1:09 am
👏 👏 👏 👏 👏
VW Picton
August 22, 2021 at 10:53 pm
A great presentation. Thank you for the fresh perspective.
Trung Hiếu Lâm
August 23, 2021 at 1:48 am
Why does it’s sound like the nearest recognization of the new particle when speeding up 2 less-electron-neutrons by near the speed-of-light, near-but-not smashing them. Then the cloud of protons of both of them smashed, and create new particles that we never find. Is she a member or observer of that experiment?
SYED JAFFER IMAM
August 23, 2021 at 7:38 pm
I’m sure Stephen Hawking inspired here in her childhood.
Thanks for such a precious talk.
Kylie Hazzard
August 29, 2021 at 3:09 am
No other TED talk has spurred my mind quite as much as this one! Thank you for your fascinating and tenacious work, Claire!
B4JoeM Derry
August 30, 2021 at 10:17 am
Awesome Ted Talk. I love listening to brilliant physicists. If I were tasked with finding the missing 98% of the universe, I’d check down the back of the sofa. That’s where I usually find my missing keys. If that didn’t work I’d go back to watching the new episodes of Rick and Morty.
Lisa Love Ministry
September 2, 2021 at 12:10 am
John 1-5
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
Rogue
September 2, 2021 at 3:32 pm
Bless everything about this fantastic person.
Johnather
September 6, 2021 at 10:57 pm
When it comes to naming things scientists either go haywire or as simple as possible not a lot of in between