The man who almost faked his way to a Nobel Prize

In the year 2000, an unknown German postdoc set the world of physics on fire. This is the rise of Jan Hendrik Schön. Part 1 of 3.
Part 2: • Suspicions are swirlin...
Part 3: • How to lose a Ph.D in ...
My twitter : / bobbybroccole
My Patreon: / bobbybroccoli
All music used is from the KZbin Audio Library (credits at the very end of the video).
Follow me on Twitter: @ bobbybroccole
0:00 Intro
0:55 Chapter 1 - Stockholm
3:39 Chapter 2 - Profile of a Winner
14:52 Chapter 3 - Bell Labs
18:36 Chapter 4 - The End of Moore's Law
22:50 Chapter 5 - The Future is Plastic
29:09 Chapter 6 - Publish or Perish
34:36 Chapter 7 - Welcome to the Club
Jan Hendrik Schön, the Bell Labs Fraud. Plastic Fantastic. Bertram Batlogg. Schön affair, Schön scandal. Nobel Prize fraud.

[@pbentesio]

Just for the record, the fact the man who invented the lithium-ion battery being named John B. Goodenough will never not be funny

[@alidurrani4645]

Laugh all you want, he is the reason you have a phone in your hand

[@DavidJCobb]

@@alidurrani4645 i guess that'd be a good enough reason to take the man seriously

[@BBWahoo]

@@alidurrani4645 His contributions were good enough!

[@faith_alone]

There's a song called Johnny B. Goode and his parents probably wanted to make him a meme

[@santhoshsridhar5887]

I mean, Lithium ion batteries are not good enough nowadays

[@MikeSiegert]

“You are without a doubt the worst PhD holder I’ve ever heard of.” “But you have heard of me.”

[@liamfalvey5142]

“ *Doctor* Jan Hendricks! “

[@rudejase]

Touché

[@jamesamos6565]

Obviously you've never heard of the Bogdanoff's

[@silenttera666]

"Yes, but for your failure."

[@intake888]

Jack sp

[@Arsenic71]

People at Bell labs were hired without the thought of inventing a specific product. They were hired to be creative and think about things that nobody thought of before and then tried to make these things. Bell labs are and will always be legendary in my books.

[@santumi2298]

The idea was basically to throw smart people a bunch of money and hope something good happened, wasn't it. I mean hell it worked, C++ is great.

[@dr.physiker9930]

They- corrupt

[@everythingpony]

Well now bells labs doesn't allow this

[@kingpest13]

​@@dr.physiker9930wut?

[@JustKypp]

Aperture Science mindset

[@kitchenbriks3685]

I worked for Bell Labs and it was amazing! They would pay you a portion of the profits gained for any idea you came up with that streamlined any process or reduced a cost. Some of the things we were doing were insane. I was blown away watching them develop a way to gold plate glass fibers.

[@katiekawaii]

That's super cool. Please tell me everything! 😃

[@abitofyourbrain]

Yea. Fever dream lol

[@dmatthews7423]

I had an instructor that worked for Goodyear Tire many years ago. He said his job was to sit with a few other guys and just think of and work on ways to do anything the company does better. I feel like we're missing this part of business anymore. We're too focused on increasing output/sales and pay little attention to reducing waste/expenses.

[@OmarDreid]

How do they decide what the split is ?

[@imhollywood1015]

Yeah me too.

[@DarthCalculus]

I'm sorry, someone named "John Be Good Enough" won a Nobel Prize? Reality needs better writers

[@paulmichaelfreedman8334]

Yup, he pioneered Lithium-ion batteries.

[@rosalind1635]

B. Goodenough is a terrible name for a child but pretty awesome for a Noble Prize winner.

[@EinFelsbrocken]

Damn; quite depressing if the nobel prize is just "good enough" 🤣

[@FisherBernard]

John be more than just good enough

[@rosalind1635]

@@FisherBernardMore like Johnny Sparkles!

[@florianjonas8647]

Random story: at one point you show an image of Bednorz who won the Nobel prize for the discovery of superconductivity in ceramic materials. This reminded me of a talk he gave one time at our university, and I have to tell you I have never seen a guy so excited about a topic. He kept talking and talking and talking, showing you all the applications since the discovery all excited like a little kid. At some point his wife (who was in the audience) started to give him angry looks, and he said “my wife is indicating I should end this talk soon”, which didn’t keep him from continuing his talk for another 15 minutes. I think he must have exceeded his planned talk time by over half an hour 🤣 anyways, super fun dude and very excited, wish more people were like him

[@mayabartolabac]

if only more people lied like him am i rite heheheheheheh

[@hajarmdn4883]

@@mayabartolabac no not right. Excited academics make learning their field of research fun.

[@notcrackerjack]

I hope I turn out like that someday

[@nickywags0712]

That’s great, I wish people like that came to my university but mine is way too small haha

[@florianjonas8647]

@@nickywags0712 maybe one day! Our uni is not that big, but he gave the talk after he received an honor doctorate from them or however you call it

[@honeyxew469]

“He was intelligent and had a keen sensitivity to others’ results and expectations” 4:26 The entire story foreshadowed in one sentence!!!

[@StrikeWarlock]

He was essentially the perfect sycophant.

[@MedlifeCrisis]

This was great! I am quite interested in scientific fraud and more than a few people pointed me in your direction. Looking forward to watching more

[@Apexseal1]

so interesting seeing what people do to gain notoriety, regardless of how they achieve it. love your vids btw!

[@jnerdsblog]

Always nice to see a familiar face in the comments of other deserving channels!

[@nadapenny8592]

Lmfao imagine being a scientist and getting this comment on your peer reviewed research

[@crimsontowers]

Yeah it's compelling and mind boggling that it's still so common in this modern era where you can research and check into anything yourself But we have faith healers, flat earthers, anti vaxxers, companies like GOOP with their blatant nonsense, all couched in gibberish with vaguely scientific sounding proofs a child can see through, so many absolutely fraudulent things and absurd saps falling for it when it takes 3 minutes to fact check it for yourself if youre uneducated

[@KitagumaIgen]

Have you looked into the Macciarini (sp? - if wrong done by purpose to condescend) court case where he was let off with some sort of suspended sentence?

[@CacoPholey]

This video felt like I went to the library, found a book that looked interesting, flipped through the first bit of it, and got interested enough to want to buy it Great work

[@BobbyBroccoli]

This is one of my favourite comments now

[@raccoontrashpanda1467]

You buy books from the library? I think you're being ripped off.

[@coffin7904]

@@raccoontrashpanda1467 lol

[@raytheboss4650]

library :sob:

[@DD-uo8st]

@@raccoontrashpanda1467 You know when you borrow something / plan on borrowing something and like it so much you just need to buy your own copy so you can keep it? I think that’s what they meant 🙏

[@spaceowl9246]

I always ask myself: How many frauds are there that run around with a PhD and never get caught?

[@danieldorsz1047]

A lot! My PhD is a fraud. 8 years later noone found out and I am doing good. So if you are reading this and have a chance to do it. Do it.

[@nisbahmumtaz909]

@@danieldorsz1047 Yeah but that's like, not fair. 99% of PhD grads leave with an overwhelming feeling of impostor syndrome. It's like social media inferiority complex, but for academic citations.

[@StormBurnX]

PhD? A lot. Peer-reviewed? only slightly less, but still a lot....

[@arturocevallossoto5203]

A Physics PhD? It may be hard but not impossible.

[@padregrande523]

@@danieldorsz1047 That's messed up.

[@gluk8838]

That "Because Johns are special people" gave me WHIPLASH. I was tasting the Jon Bois influence but that line and subsequent zoom out just gave me chills. I love how you incorporated that style and gave it your own influence, it's truly something special.

[@rushikakkirala948]

Could you tell me what that was a reference to?

[@Brivalia]

@@rushikakkirala948 It's a reference to a 2 part youtube series by sportswriter Jon Bois called "The Bob Emergency". Jon is clearly one of Bobby's influences and theres a significant overlap in their audiences. I cannot reccomend Bois's work enough, and imo the bob emergency is one of the best places to start.

[@rushikakkirala948]

@@Brivalia Ooh, alright, I'll check him out, thanks!

[@avacadomangobanana2588]

@@rushikakkirala948 WHAT DO U THINK OF HIM

[@rushikakkirala948]

@@avacadomangobanana2588 He's great! I prefer this channel, as I'm more interested in physics than sports, but his style and presentation is enough to keep me interested anyway!

[@squiky-says5286]

Great story telling of a sad event. The number of people in the story that I knew or worked with kind of blew my mind. Many fond memories of my years at Bell Labs.

[@nananou1687]

Can you share a bit more about your experiences

[@squiky-says5286]

@@nananou1687 I worked there ~30 years, so a lot of ground to cover. Most of my work was in photonics. I did some diode laser pioneering work, and lots of other stuff...

[@apetchel]

My dad also worked there for 20 years or so, but I think he took a package to leave right before they started layoffs, so he would've missed this whole scandal. He always bragged about where he worked, but I was too young at the time to really understand what a big deal Bell Labs was. Super cool stuff

[@unexpected2475]

Did you ever meet Schon yourself?

[@squiky-says5286]

@@unexpected2475 I worked in a different location at that time, so we never crossed paths.

[@fredsmith-kingofthelunatic7810]

FINALLY, someone who differentiates between "inventor" and "first to patent."

[@apubraithwaite1274]

same thing really

[@fredsmith-kingofthelunatic7810]

@@apubraithwaite1274 absolutely not the same thing. Not even close. Many famous inventions are credited to people who patented things while stealing the idea from others.

[@apubraithwaite1274]

@@fredsmith-kingofthelunatic7810 Stalin invented K-Pop Prove me wrong

[@fredsmith-kingofthelunatic7810]

@@apubraithwaite1274 why bother, that's just a facetious, idiotic comment.

[@shivers.ID_]

@@apubraithwaite1274😭💀

[@GibusWearingMann]

Further details, since I was curious: Bell Labs won their Oscar for their "multi-cellular high-frequency horn and receiver," their Grammy for "outstanding technical contributions to the recording field," and their now five(!) Emmys for, in order: their work on HDTV, their work on DVR, fiber-optic cables, the CCD you mentioned, and the .ISO file format.

[@Yoanka]

Wow, I've never heard of this. So you're saying this company is one theater-revolutionizing invention away from a full EGOT? It's going to be the hardest since that's not a digital medium, but best of luck to them.

[@notNajimi]

@@Yoanka lmao, they can make some advanced stage lighting or something

[@QuotePilgrim]

"Humans have a history of occasionally making mistakes" might be one of the greatest understatements in history 😆

[@barobaro1]

The worst thing that ever happened to earth was human beings

[@GiraffeFlavoredCondoms]

I like how fitting your name is for this comment :P

[@calmexit6483]

​@@barobaro1I could NOT disagree more with a statement 😂

[@allenmills7940]

Found the misanthropist

[@TacticalAnt420]

@@barobaro1we’re destroying most of the biosphere, yet we are the key to spreading further across the star. If we fail, we’ll destroy it. If we succeed, it will be the single greatest step for life.

[@squiky-says5286]

As I recall, Bell Labs common practice through the 80's (in research organizations) has support staff assigned to each [PhD] staff member. Later cost cutting greatly reduced the researcher/support-staff ratio. It would seem if Schön had a lab tech, even a part time lab tech, none of this "insanity" would have taken place.

[@zaco-km3su]

80s.

[@theobserver314]

Hendrick when submitting a paper: *"UNLIMITED POWER!"* Hendrick when caught red handed for research fraud: *"Help me. I'm too weak."*

[@Melecie]

and organic power, at that

[@johan9428]

No-one equals Hwang Woo-suk (the scandal is also covered by BobbyBroccoli). The eggs donations he received are revealed to have been illegal? Hwang Woo-suk does a press conference where he annonces he resigns, and all the politicians and media come to his rescue. His research his revealed to have been all fraudulent? Hwang Woo-suk lays in bed at the hospital and he receives visits/coverage from the politicians and media. The Wounded Gazelle Gambit Trope should be renamed the Hwang Woo-suk Gambit. The scandal happened after the Schoen scandal, yet a politician said "Hwang Woo-suk studies have been published in Science, therefore no-one can challenge them".

[@SissypheanCatboy]

@@johan9428 The effects of for-profit publishing and the idolization of individual researchers have been the worst thing to happen to science since the catholic church.

[@El_Omar2203]

John Goodenough after receiving his Nobel Prize not only at 97 years old but decades after the prize worthy feat: "Good enough"

[@billwilson5341]

John B. Goodenough

[@blexellie7146]

Transistor?? I have one of those, and we love her very much

[@thevideoistheking8834]

Okay this is pretty good lol

[@dragonslayeralex3316]

Ok thats great lmao

[@NautilusGuitars]

I've been working with electronics (on a surface level) my entire adult life, and roughly understood transistors. But the simplicity of how you explained it was a revelation to me. It's so obvious now, but for some reason I never thought through the actual mechanics of it. Funny enough, you didn't even fully explain it by the time it hit me. It was just the way you began describing it that made a light go off in my head and I had an epiphany about how they're used to amplify signals. They're just electromechanical relays sans the mechanical part. Well, thanks for that! Haha.

[@buzz-es]

Exactly, I got the same image.

[@masopech]

I just want to clarify that 34 citations on a paper are actually pretty good. That is above average even for very prestigious journals. The journals with the highest impact factors (average number a paper in that journal is cited) are "Nature" and "Science" which usually rank up an impact factor of around 40-50.

[@LegendaryKenneth]

Very true. My most cited paper has 2 haha.

[@Manu-he7bu]

Well that is way to general of a statement. Certainly true for most areas of physics or chemistry, but definitely not for all research. Just look at papers in Machine Learning for example. They can get tens of thousands of citations in under 5 years. (E.g the BERT paper from 2018 which has been cited over 33,000 times.)

[@edomeindertsma6669]

@Manu I don't think machine learning was big then. Machine learning is quite interesting as hundreds of companies of all sizes are interested in it, and I think there hasn't been this much money poured into any subject before (transistors would have been a good option, but that was at the start of the current industrial revolution).

[@OriginalMindTrick]

A large number of papers have zero citations in some fields. Around 82% of Humanities papers aren't cited once which means they produce intellectual work that no one is reading. Just a scream into the dark abyss.

[@OriginalMindTrick]

@@LegendaryKenneth What field is that?

[@guy-sl3kr]

Wow I never knew how cliquey the Nobel prize is. Reminds me of how Oscars and Emmys and Grammys and basically every merit-based award is biased to the point of being pretty much arbitrary.

[@akanta5746]

It's not really biased per se honestly. It's more of a trend than a bias

[@guy-sl3kr]

@@akanta5746 Sounds like a distinction without a difference. I wouldn't mind these awards being what they are if they didn't advertise themselves as recognizing the pinnacle of human achievement. Because they definitely don't do that lol.

[@akanta5746]

@@guy-sl3kr bias is an inherent, intentional process. trends are a correlation based on data. The difference between a bias and a trend is like the difference between murder and manslaughter, in a way. also while nobel prizes don't represent the full extent of scientific achievement it's the best measurement we have at the moment, and certianly better than subjective opinion (which would be ACTUAL bias).

[@guy-sl3kr]

@@akanta5746 I've never heard of bias as being something that's intentional. Where are you getting these definitions from? Anyway, I don't think awards should be used as measurements regardless of their supposed objectivity.

[@alfredfreedomjones5105]

@@guy-sl3kr bias can definitely be intentional, though not always. It’s favoritism essentially, many great minds have been shunned or even executed simply because society didn’t like them or their beliefs

[@reverendaero]

11:54 I called it, began yelling and jumping around in midair "YES I GOT IT!" then realized I was excited because I knew a bunch of important scientists were into Eugenics and quieted back down immediately.

[@kristinaatanasoff3547]

Fantastic stuff! I'm currently getting my PhD in virology -- I know your field is primarily physics/engineering, but I would love if you did deep dives into some biomedical scientific fraud, there's some seriously wild shit out there. (Case in point: the dean of my school was victim of a shooting by a former researcher who was fired over scientific misconduct!)

[@BobbyBroccoli]

You're in luck!

[@carpetman9191]

Are you talking about Amy Bishop?

[@kristinaatanasoff3547]

@@carpetman9191 Good guess, but nope -- although Amy Bishop would make another excellent subject for a deep dive essay...

[@ah420]

epic story, also bobby has a documentary on hwang, the fake master of human cloning

[@samboujaiteh3331]

I don’t know why this is getting recommended to me now, but it’s such a good story. It should have had 1M views by now.

[@heckdongle9325]

same. thanks youtube algorithm.

[@kikib8434]

Agreed 😁.

[@CoIumbo]

me too

[@mrsapplez2007]

And me

[@mb-zx4hl]

exactly my thoughts!

[@st0ox]

I like the "Nobel prize eugenics correlation" diagram in your video, however it doesn't really tell who supported that school of thinking and who heavily argumented against it like Günter Grass.

[@BobbyBroccoli]

Yeah that's the part I least like about the video. Thomas Hunt Morgan deserves a shoutout here too

[@bigmistqke]

@@BobbyBroccoli i would add it to ur pinned message tbh.

[@fredhasopinions]

Didn’t see your comment before posting my own so I’ll add this here as well - Gerhart Hauptmann’s mentions in his Wikipedia page also stem from his opposition to it.

[@The1jacksprat]

Great comment thanks for bringing this to my attention.

[@bigmistqke]

@@IvanVKlik lol that bait

[@broski5767]

The intense buildup you gave to bell labs validated my repeated yelling of “BELL LABS!” And I cheered upon you saying it

[@ghostmanscores1666]

I remember hearing " the fertile minds of Bell labs" growing up.

[@chrisdray5325]

I only knew it because I had a prof that used to work at Bell. He was a physicist teaching Intro to Java, though, so I didn't get a ton of interesting insights.

[@moistbrain9297]

Since I lived next to bell labs my entire childhood and both my parents worked at bell labs, I was so excited to see it mentioned! They may have been an all encompassing monopoly, but man is it cool what a company can do with monopoly money

[@symmetrie_bruch]

not only did they completely make up the prize for economics, in doing so they explictly violeted his will. nobel did not just forget about economics, he was strictly against it and said so in his will.

[@breawycker]

By dubbing econ "dismal science" adherents exaggerate; The "dismal"'s fine - it's "science" where they patently prevaricate. - xkcd

[@houserhouse]

Fr "Nobel for economics?" To be clear, governments and the wealthy could be open-sourcing their finances to maintain a both free and INFORMED market, but instead we're applauding people who are presumably just helping people make money off of others

[@-psilo-9071]

The Evils of Capitalism have no limits

[@aimDiego]

You have to remember that the Nobel Prize is just a bunch of people jerking off each other

[@PragmaticAntithesis]

Source?

[@D0S81]

15:53 ''and eventually *fucked off* to novoscotia'' that f bomb just came outta nowhere that i almost spat coffee everywhere trying not to laugh. it was awesome. I sometimes forget that the limit on swearing on youtube is only the first ten minutes.....especially in my own stuff where i swear from the get go usually, but damn man, that was so funny for no reason other than (to use an Americanism) it came straight outta left field man. nice.

[@MelodySparkleroni490]

This guy wrote a fucking masters thesis in response to the word fuck

[@wanderinghistorian]

I've seen this series so many times I know it by heart, but I keep re-watching it because BB does such an amazing job delivering it. How this guy doesn't have 1mil subs yet is beyond me.

[@thehoodedteddy1335]

He’s like the Jon Bois of Scientific history

[@mikemo1993]

BB is criminally underrated. Couldn’t agree more!

[@malignusvonbottershnike563]

'The greatest fraud you've never heard of' Jokes on you, I've watched this video 3 or 4 times now, I know exactly who this man is, get owned

[@Solaris2738]

You are not alone! I watch this video everytime I am having self-steem issues. Jan Hendrink Schön thank you for your invaluable contribution to my self-esteem, may you always live in shame for what you did to electronics

[@vastowen4562]

i love the transitions. I like how the graphics don't disappear, you just move to a new area and start fresh. I also like that you can see old gfx when moving. Looks very impressive. The editor(s) is a wizard

[@TylerWardhaha]

You can do it pretty easily using prezi. I used it a couple times for college and it definitely has a more unique gem than a power point.

[@misanthropolis-zone-act3]

@@TylerWardhaha yes, it looks like Prezi

[@RicoElectrico]

@@misanthropolis-zone-act3 Actually it seems that he used Google Earth!

[@malfaroangel3896]

Kinda how the human mind process new information

[@BobbyBroccoli]

We here at Broccoli Entertainment Inc. want to say: We hear you, and we're listening. Medicine is spelt with an I, not an E. However, please feel free to keep leaving correction comments as it boosts engagement. Also worth noting, the eugenics graph did not distinguish between proponents and critics. Critics of eugenics include Gerhart Hauptmann and Günther Grass for literature, and Thomas Hunt Morgan for med*i*cine

[@hollanderson]

This video deserves a whole lotta more views

[@pseudonym50]

Algorithm moment 👍

[@1967sluggy]

Truly a great day when the algorithm suddenly blesses a great video

[@destrudot]

h

[@Bhuyakasha]

correction comment

[@TribalScience]

The editing that you do (to say nothing of the countless hours of research and writing) is so good in your videos. You have a real knack for this stuff and a unique style.

[@lagtim327]

Unique is a stretch, this is just a Jon Boi's video with out sports. (Still good thought)

[@iwbmo]

4:44 nice angle

[@StrikeWarlock]

W I D E

[@tysonwilkins2537]

man this was fuckin awesome. i love jon's style, and you took that aesthetic and really made it your own, with an interesting story and great execution

[@goofycker]

Who's gonna be the next NP-winner in Medecine (sic)?

[@billysgeo]

I love the narration style too! He's on-point despite the long run of the video. Awesome

[@codekillerz5392]

Jon?

[@osker4615]

Jon Bois i would guess

[@rev68]

Not a fan of the style, as it's way too much like chart party...another over rated channel.

[@r.p.7174]

Holy crap the technical wizardry with the google earth transitions looked awesome. I think all your videos (especially this series) are great, but the extra level of effort put in here made it even better.

[@GlazeonthewickeR]

This has to be one of the most well-executed videos I’ve seen on KZbin in a minute. Super well-researched, an entertaining script and wickedly clear & concise graphic work throughout. Excellent stuff, man. My night is set!

[@minimags6720]

Dude, this video was fantastic! You have picked an eye-catching topic, done a great amount of research, and clearly know how to present it in a thorough, understandable manner....both visually and vocally! I can honestly say I have watched this multiple times simply because of HOW you explained all of this. I am a big fan of huge falls from grace, and really hoping to see more from you!

[@AlanGohel]

This fills the hole left by the missing episode of Pretty Good.

[@BobbyBroccoli]

Best compliment I could have received tbh

[@bobdrooples]

Goodenough though?

[@cristiadu]

Yes! it was very Jon Bois, which is indeed a compliment. Very well made!

[@kenthehobo]

I know, right!!

[@roop-a-loop]

what missing ep

[@JurgenErhard]

He didn't receive a strange "combination of bachelor's and master's degree", he graduated with a "diploma", which is equivalent to a master's degree (we didn't have a separate bachelor's back then, and we were better off :D).

[@msalvs]

Debatable.

[@msalvs]

@IntrepidTit I was referring to Jürgen’s own assessment that “we were better off before diplomas split onto bachelors and masters”. Pay more attention Intrepid tit.

[@chromso]

@IntrepidTit not what he was calling debatable. he was calling the claim "we were better off" is debatable

[@greenoftreeblackofblue6625]

@IntrepidTit I find "pay better attention if you want to correct people" A hugely funny line in this comment thread. I am not trying to insult you but it's very funny

[@leaffinite3828]

Is there a huge difference between "a combination of a bachelors and masters" and "a masters"? Im not college educated but my understanding was a bachelors was a prerequisite for a masters anyway

[@randrazor]

Rewatching this, it plays out like a classic tragedy. We know how it ends, we know he gets caught, but the slow spiral downwards is so magnificent.

[@StrikeWarlock]

He really was a bucket of water in a desert.

[@galaxythefox7432]

Imagine if he actually DID get the Nobel Prize. What would they do when they found out he faked it all? Would they take it away? I’m so curious what would happen

[@Avendesora]

They stripped James Watson of all his titles in 2019 for being insanely racist, I'm sure they wouldn't have just sat by if he won.

[@Kunfucious577]

lol. Obama faked his way to a Nobel prize.

[@Ezekiel_Allium]

@@Avendesora well that was a bleak wikipedia skim-through. I wonder how many people justify those same beliefs by pointing to Watson. How many racist fence sitters are swayed by hearing the guy who discovered the shape of DNA validating the melanin nonsense. Did all of that start with him? How impactful was he in spreading it? Just really unpleasant to think about

[@sgringo]

This three-part documentary was so beyond what I expected. I had no idea it would be so comprehensive, rich in context and presented in such a riveting way. I rarely spend more than 20 minutes on a video at one time (that's about all the concentration my ADD brain can muster), but I watched all three videos back-to-back-to-back, without noticing how much time had elapsed. The technical details were substantive enough to be interesting to physics nerds, but approachable enough for anyone to get the gist. Thanks Bobby, you are a HELL of a story teller.

[@spaperatoreassassino4994]

Just a couple of weeks ago I finished reading plastic Fantastic. I heard of schon's story long ago and it really fascinated me, but I found a book about it much later. I think it's a pretty interesting case: everyone had a piece of the puzzle but they were unable to build the bigger picture because they were not communicating. Further Schon was protected by batlogg's aura. Schon claims made a lot of people lose even a year of their PhD time about lies. His forgery attitudes started when he was just a PhD with results not matching papers. There is a strong psychological component in what made him slip down to become a real liar, and for a chemistry student like I am it was interesting to see what a simple student anxiety can become a huge disaster. My congrats to you for the video on every aspect: you deserve a lot of views, likes, and now you gained a new subscriber! Go ahead like this!

[@neillcoetzer9133]

Oh man. I'm a chem student myself. And I really get what you mean anxiety. Holy shit it is insane everything you gotta deal with. And things suddenly changing, especially now with covid. Guess that is much better prep for real life than highschool I feel the other major contributing factor is the higher you put yourself the more people expect from you and then you can't just stop going

[@spaperatoreassassino4994]

@@neillcoetzer9133 COVID stroke hard right during my master thesis, It was very tough and tiring for all of us. You know, I see the positive side in growing through difficulties, but sometimes I just wonder why do we always have to learn the rough way

[@rukus7661]

I’ve recently discovered this channel within the past 24 hours and I’ve been binging it since. I’m beyond impressed with the quality you’re putting out! Keep up the good work🙏🏻

[@Jenloveshergoats]

Fun fact, the Canadian "bell" telephone company never changed its name unlike the American one. It's still called Bell. It's known for being cheap and low quality lol. Canada also has AT&T.

[@BobbyBroccoli]

Unlike in the US, Bell's monopoly never got broken up in Canada!

[@Butterbean32]

@@BobbyBroccoliour telco situation is so depressing man

[@ARandomMinecraftVillager]

32:30 "Are you trying to tell me that he put them all out in two years?" *_*Screen becomes the Playstation 2 Menu*_*

[@olddeadchannel2963]

I love how you put eugenics in Comic Sans

[@jopika1]

Just wanted to say, the opening intro timed to the music was amazing. Punchy, added some excitement and tension with a great hook. I love your documentaries :) Thanks for putting so much passion into explaining the sometimes overlooked history of science and engineering!

[@emilyjanet455]

You have a really excellent presentation style and cadence, not shying away from the social issues at play and really nailing the points. Super engaging, looking forward to watching more!

[@kreatorkat3598]

So glad I clicked on this video in the Jon Bois subreddit, it was incredible! You did an amazing job with the Google Earth style and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I don’t know much about scientific discoveries but the publication quantity and science/nature reveals had my jaw on the floor. Music choices really worked too, especially near the end. Subscribing for sure and excited for the next episode!

[@zackschilling4376]

It just clicked in my head what this reminded me of, then went into the comments if I wasnt alone. Its similar not only in style, but in quality as well.

[@cyclops336]

@@zackschilling4376 I came to the comments looking for this as well haha. Some of the delivery feels like Bois as well. It's a great video.

[@colatf2]

It looks and is written very similarly to a Jon Bois vid and it’s great

[@carlost856]

Strong Jon Bois vibes. Subscribed edit: After Watching the whole series, I can tell that you did really good with the style and blended it with your touch to create something great. Truly one reaches far by standing on the shoulders of giants.

[@earlpipe9713]

Yeah, truly kino achievments

[@peterhall6656]

The thing that really astonishes me is that Schon was clearly a 3rd tier mind and given the Bell Labs culture that would have been obvious but he got away with this outrageous pea and thimble trick. His collaborators have a case to answer as well.

[@SuperSteffanus]

Hey, could I just ask. What do you mean by 3rd tier mind? Is it a common expression for not being creative or?

[@adiaphoros6842]

@@SuperSteffanus I think Peter Hall is talking about the 3 Tiers of Mind by PFTQ. A 3rd Tier Mind is that of a layman or follower: it doesn’t question, only applies.

[@SuperSteffanus]

@@adiaphoros6842 Thank you!

[@LunarLemonade]

@@adiaphoros6842 Sounds to me like the exact kind of BS thinking Bobby is criticizing when he says science is rarely pushed forwards by lone visionaries.

[@adiaphoros6842]

@@LunarLemonade That’s why PTFQ says “Tiers of Mind.” That doesn’t mean there’s only one visionary making discoveries, innovations or inventions. Instead, a whole group comprised of many minds from all 3 tiers collaborate. There’s nothing wrong with being an applier. Without them, there would be no one would apply the theories that the minds from higher tiers formulated. 3rd Tier Minds collect and analyze data for 1st Tier Minds to refine their theories.

[@theodile1374]

i keep watching this over and over, your editing style and storytelling are fantastic and you make a complex tale both compelling and accessible! still can't believe this guy got as far as he did, but at least no one got hurt as a result of his creative writing. again, great work on this project!

[@rosiemaxx8121]

The intro hooked me in! Also, this is a field I’m incredibly interested in - the history of fraudsters (and history in general). Amazing video! Cannot wait to watch the other parts!

[@adriadam3296]

I'm a biomedical scientist and a fraudster famous in my field (because it would've effectively made our jobs moot if released to the public) was Elizabeth Anne Holmes. It's quite an interesting read

[@ndaemon1718]

amazing vid bobby! this whole thing honestly feels like a case of " hes so well known so surely i must be mistaken" sortof :). im sure some people personally found issues here and there but questioned themseleves and keåt quiet. The world of Academia is a tricky one and the ones at the top or near the top of it are basically rockstars lol.

[@beaumains1969]

I like to listen to your videos like podcasts while at work, but sometimes i rewatch them at home when i can see them. The visuals are really great.

[@wyatttomlinson3475]

These type of stories intrigue me, especially with this high production quality. Watching some of your other videos, I can tell you have a knack for cliffhangers. And man, oh man, the cliffhanger in this part was EXCELLENT! On to Part 2!

[@EebstertheGreat]

Most transistors don't really switch between positive and negative voltages. Electronics have DC power supplies, so the voltage is either low (~0) or high (e.g. +5 V). In an idealized case, the emf on the gate instantaneously switches between 0 and +5V (or whatever operating voltage), which switches the source-drain circuit between open and short.

[@TomasSobutas]

Yes, but it doesn't matter in this video as this was just a simple explanation that to people with no knowledge about them doesn't make any difference. For example the first example with the lightbulb wasn't good too, as for 220v you would need a triac.

[@threethrushes]

What he said.

[@misanthropolis-zone-act3]

What's the difference between a transistor and a thyristor?

[@squiggly_lines]

@@misanthropolis-zone-act3 You really should ask what is the difference between a thyristor and a diode.

[@dontknowdocare]

Amazing research, editing and visuals. Once in a blue moon youtube recommenations get it right. I'm shocked to see how few views and subscribers this channel has compared to some of the reaction channel type drivel that gets recommended to millions. Thank you for your hard work, I hope more people will get to appreciate your documentaries!

[@Dancingonthesun]

Bobby, everytime you upload I watch all your older gems. Your documentaries are my favorite on this platform.

[@leviHeichou]

I only recently discovered your videos and love them dearly. I am looking forward to this series as well. As a German I really love how you pronounce "Schön". It just sounds adorable :). Keep up the fantastic work.

[@KuiperShaina]

I hate you for the cliffhanger, but man this was an absolutely awesome documentary.

[@loverboyclement6767]

u probably know this now but there are 2 more parts!

[@user-lw9wu8dl4o]

This was fantastic in every way. I hope you keep making videos, videos like this are too few. Thanks for taking the time and effort.

[@simenstory3321]

Your storytelling is absoluteøy incredible man! Can't wait to dive head-first into all of your other videos.

[@Octagons_GT]

Your videos are literally so high quality, its insane. Have been binge watching many of ur videos and a proud subscriber.

[@peterkapinos277]

We watched all 3 parts. This was very well made and quite interesting. Good job! I think your voice-over execution and timbre really made it. I anticipate if your next one is on Yoshitaka Fujii.

[@erikmaronde2244]

I was present during this period in Germany doing biomedical research myself. Also when the doubts rose. Never found out what happened to Jan Henrik Schön after his fraud happened and was uncovered. Great video!

[@rubyjohn]

Due to the recent unsubstentiated rumors about Korean superconductivity breakthrough, I have to revisit this fantastic series to make sure I don't get too unreasonably hyped up lol.

[@misalignedmisanthropist]

Make sure to revisit the Hwang series too

[@pan.gremlin]

I’m actually rewatching this for the same reason! I’m hoping that history won’t repeat itself, but honestly I’m not holding my breath. If it is real, though, I can only imagine how Hendrik Schön will feel, lol

[@misalignedmisanthropist]

@@pan.gremlin It didnt really repeat itself but we are getting more backlash against the new superconductor. If anything this feels more like Hwang all over again

[@tatata1543]

The Nobel Prize lost all credibility when they gave the peace prize to Kissinger.

[@johnpayne7873]

Late viewer but so glad I did. Some my fondest memories of grad school was reading every issue of Bell Labs Technical Journal. Was also happy to see that it is available online. Great piece, instant subscriber.

[@Dobcool]

24:02 they actually did find a room temperature superconductor recently! Unfortunately it only works at super high pressures

[@GeorgeN-ATX]

This is exactly what I thought, I looked at the date this video came out and because I don't know/can't remember exactly when that superconductor discovery was made; I decided that this video was probably made before then. Though even if the video was made after, it is extremely understandable that they had not heard about the discovery just yet.

[@michaelh.1262]

@@GeorgeN-ATX plus the time it took to make, and edit this 45 minute video

[@michaelh.1262]

Also his point is still valid

[@ajlorentz]

That paper was retracted btw.

[@ajlorentz]

That paper was retracted btw.

[@jacksonhodge4504]

These videos are so well made and fascinating. I keep coming back to them. Amazing work.

[@NukeTshernobyl]

I just found your channel yesterday and now I'm totally sucked into the topics, never knewing, I would care about. Keep the work up, I love it.

[@wadecrudgel6006]

Insanely cool, intriguing, entertaining, and high-production. I’m very excited to finish watching these, and excellent work!

[@gibbostooth]

Finally youtube algorithm gave me a good stuff. Intriguing story and awesome production quality. Whole series were entertaining and educational. Thanks for your job!

[@philshoward9340]

Not sure how I found this but stumbled on this while revising my PhD discussion…what a crazy story and very well explained mate. Especially on the physics side!

[@avawetzel3408]

this popped up in my recommendations and i am VERY excited to go watch the other two parts!!! the quality of this video is incredible and even though i understand absolutely none of the science, you managed to make it entertaining enough that i was hooked anyway. well done!!!

[@STRIKEcorperation]

21:51 the limitation that comes from reduced feature size in integrated circuits isn't temperature, but rather parasitic effects like tunneling and electromagnetic coupling. The tunneling causes a hard limit, but the EM coupling adds additional constraints for the speed of the transistors (which is why CPU clock rates have plateaued in the last 20 years). One way to increase the signal strength inside of the CPU is to increase the voltage, but this causes the current spikes that result from switching to increase. The higher this current is, the more resistive heating occurs across the die. This is where the temperature limitation comes in. The temperature limitation prevents further compensating the increased clock rate, but in itself has no bearing on the feature size. edit: I only have a single undergrad class worth of background into semiconductor physics, so I'm basing this completely off of the many rules of thumb that we discussed. I'm probably wrong, but I thought I'd leave this up because maybe others agree/disagree with me.

[@changedpace9169]

Absolutely incredible man. I can’t imagine how many hundreds of hours you put into this but I genuinely thank you for your effort into making this incredible content free for everyone. P.S I share the Schön last name, very cool to see this pop up on my recommended. Hope this blows up so you can get the payment you deserve for this. Cheers

[@BobbyBroccoli]

Apologies for butchering the pronunciation haha

[@changedpace9169]

@@BobbyBroccoli honestly you were pretty spot on, it’s nearly impossible to say it perfectly without a German accent. It was a breath of fresh air after having it be pronounced “scone” my whole life😂

[@echoplots8058]

Oh look, another Schön, I share that name too. To be honest, I find it refreshing to hear someone make a different kind of mistake instead of the usual "schon"

[@cathe8282]

Absolutely love your graphics: they're clear and understandable. To be honest I had never heard of this guy but I'm totally following the narrative.

[@arealgoblin]

every time eugenics pops up its like a jumpscare

[@toastedsniper9248]

The research, the presentation, the structure, wow dude. I am so glad I came across your channel. Keep up the amazing hard work!!!!

[@toastedsniper9248]

like, seriously, great job. The more I get into the video the more impressed I get.

[@sunsetwolf7188]

I had been recommended this video by a friend, and I'll certainly recommend it to other friends as well! The interesting subject matter and well done captions are very nice to see, and the division of the video into different parts is very well done. This is a very interesting channel! :)

[@zim00123]

This story is so interesting, and your editing is fantastic. It feels like a Jon Bois video about science rather than the dumbest sports story you've ever heard, and I can't decide which I like more.

[@lagtim327]

Honesty both, this video is a 10/10

[@maxminutiae1170]

I love the way you make your videos. Perfect combo of info and entertainment. Your visuals are excellent.

[@treeboftw1]

I understand so little of the science behind this (none in fact) and yet you explained it all so well, I was hooked 👍

[@Kikker861]

14:50 I was screaming Bell Labs. Computing, radio, and more. No institution had the balls like Bell Labs.

[@pabloquiroga5386]

What a wonderful video !!! The narrative is superb for science divulgation and complex topic's. This is the kind of content that makes YT still worth digging in. Thanks, keep it up !!! I'm delighted from the depths of my rational mind and puzzled from all the periphery of my sensitive being.

[@aylmao1230]

Came here from your element video. Man your editing and commentary is so crisp and high quality. You’re making good stuff my guy, keep it up.

[@tranceorkester]

Excellent storytelling, presentation and research. Keep up the good work!

[@thibautkovaltchouk3307]

When you are a teacher in engineering, guessing Bell lab is easy : transistors (John Bardeen, William Shockley, Walter Houser Brattain), theory of information (Claude Shannon), modern theory of the regulation (Hendrik Wade Bode, Harry Nyquist, Harold Stephen Black), transmission (John R. Carson, Phillip Hagar Smith), C (Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan), FFT (John Tukey), Unix (Kenneth Thompson) etc... This laboratory has change the world we live in.

[@zacksmith5963]

Ummm no China did that

[@baronvonshekel7323]

China numba one!

[@thibautkovaltchouk3307]

@@zacksmith5963 China did what ?🤔

[@Iandothing]

7:02 "Yes, THAT Heisenberg." WALTUH?!?!?!?!?!?

[@undisclosedmusic4969]

The video is great as is, but the casual f-bomb at 16:00 makes it oh so special

[@Sciencerely]

Just discovered your channel and that was one of the best science videos I have seen in the past months! Amazing!

[@gerard144]

Eagerly awaiting the next 2 parts! Been checking back increasingly regularly after watching this 2 weeks back :]

[@BobbyBroccoli]

Really appreciate it! Good news is I'm finishing up the first section of part 2 today, and the remainder of the video is finished audio-wise. Bad news is I'm moving this week and the school term starts in September so expect the upload in later September. One a month is still my goal though.

[@silly_goob]

The presentation of this story is incredible! I tend to get bored by visuals but I was glued to the screen with this video

[@astarryeyedgirl]

I love your science-scandal videos