The man who almost faked his way to a Nobel Prize 

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

'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

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!)

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

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.

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.

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!

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

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

Im no scientist, im a simple plumber. Specifically installs. I look at the work i did in my late 20s, when i in fact, had the least experience, and i wonder where i lost that fire under my ass. It doesnt surprise me one bit that a lot of these guys did their most important, most consequential work in their late 20s. Theres a motivation and a drive to excel in you that you dont even know about till its gone. I was working almost twice as many hours a week as i do now, all i wanted to do was kick everybody's ass and scare everyone who'd been doing the job for decades and make them wonder how some kid could keep up with their pace and the quality of their work product. It was all i wanted. I wish i could find that mindset again it was good for me in and outside of work.

every time eugenics pops up its like a jumpscare

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.

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.

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.

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.

I love how you put eugenics in Comic Sans

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!

4:44 nice angle

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

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).

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!

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🙏🏻

Oh this is why people are INSANELY skeptical of that paper that was recently published about that room temp super conductor

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

By the way, if you want to read some scientific paper and the jounal asks you for money - first send a kind email to the author of the paper, might take a while but they will most likely send you a copy for free, journals don't pay them

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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!

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!

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.

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

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

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.

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!

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! :)

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

the LEAST i can do is add a comment and share this. great work man

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!

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.

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

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

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!!!

Did you see the recent news that a team in South Korea made a room temperature superconductor? They even provided a video of their "LK 99" material. If it turns out to be false, it'd be the Schon and Hwang scandals rolled up into one. Wondering what your thoughts are on it 🤔

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

Awesome work that has me looking forward to the next video. Especially interesting as a grad student watching my own papers slowly work their way through the approval process. I can see how it would be tempting to fake some flashy results. But the level this guy was doing it at takes some serious balls. I wonder if he was up every night worried about getting caught or not.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Alright, you got me. Great production, great topic, fantastic delivery. GIVE US MORE!!! Great work so far.

Wow, the transitions and production value here are great, instantly hooked me and made me want to sub.

I can't emphasize enough how good the ending of this video was. I think all the video is so well made. You rlly deserve more recognition.

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