Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Right now, around 100 billion neutrinos are passing through your thumbnail. You will not feel a single one.
These ghostly subatomic particles are the most abundant matter particle in the universe, produced in the sun, in supernovae, at the heart of the Earth, and in bananas. They pass through almost everything without leaving a trace. And yet they may hold the answer to one of the most fundamental questions in all of physics: why does the universe exist?
Filmed at the Royal Institution on 18 May 2025.
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In this talk, particle physicist Kirsty Duffy explains what neutrinos are, how they surprised scientists for decades, and how a quantum phenomenon called neutrino oscillation proved that our best theory of particle physics is incomplete. She also introduces DUNE, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, a next-generation detector being built a mile underground in South Dakota that may finally help us find the answer.
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Join this channel to get access to the Member's Only Q&A:
youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join
Subscribe for regular science videos: bit.ly/RiSubscRibe
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Kirsty Duffy is an Associate Professor and Tutorial Fellow at The Queen's College, University of Oxford, a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, and physics lead for the international MicroBooNE collaboration at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. She hosts the popular YouTube series Even Bananas, about neutrino physics, in collaboration with Fermilab.
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The Ri is on Facebook: facebook.com/royalinstitution
and TikTok: tiktok.com/@ri_science
Listen to the Ri podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ri-science-podcast
Donate to the RI and help us bring you more lectures: rigb.org/support-us/donate-ri
Our editorial policy: rigb.org/editing-ri-talks-and-moderating-comments
Subscribe for the latest science videos: bit.ly/RiNewsletter
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:07 The big questions of particle physics
3:27 The Standard Model
6:58 Neutrinos: the most abundant particle in the universe
10:08 Why have you never seen one?
14:22 Demonstration: what "small" means in particle physics
21:09 The solar neutrino problem
24:43 Neutrino oscillation explained
36:02 The experimental proof: SNO and Super-Kamiokande
43:47 Why does the universe exist? Matter vs antimatter
48:55 DUNE: the next generation experiment
57:58 Summary
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#Neutrinos #ParticlePhysics #RoyalInstitution #Physics #QuantumMechanics #StandardModel #Antimatter #NeutrinoOscillation #GhostParticle #BigBang #DUNE #Fermilab #Oxford #Science #Astrophysics #SubatomicParticles #MatterAntimatter #KirstyDuffy #EvenBananas #FutureOfPhysics
Product links on this page may be affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link.
Right now, around 100 billion neutrinos are passing through your thumbnail. You will not feel a single one.
These ghostly subatomic particles are the most abundant matter particle in the universe, produced in the sun, in supernovae, at the heart of the Earth, and in bananas. They pass through almost everything without leaving a trace. And yet they may hold the answer to one of the most fundamental questions in all of physics: why does the universe exist?
Filmed at the Royal Institution on 18 May 2025.
__________
In this talk, particle physicist Kirsty Duffy explains what neutrinos are, how they surprised scientists for decades, and how a quantum phenomenon called neutrino oscillation proved that our best theory of particle physics is incomplete. She also introduces DUNE, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, a next-generation detector being built a mile underground in South Dakota that may finally help us find the answer.
__________
Join this channel to get access to the Member's Only Q&A:
youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join
Subscribe for regular science videos: bit.ly/RiSubscRibe
___________
Kirsty Duffy is an Associate Professor and Tutorial Fellow at The Queen's College, University of Oxford, a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, and physics lead for the international MicroBooNE collaboration at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. She hosts the popular YouTube series Even Bananas, about neutrino physics, in collaboration with Fermilab.
_________
The Ri is on Facebook: facebook.com/royalinstitution
and TikTok: tiktok.com/@ri_science
Listen to the Ri podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ri-science-podcast
Donate to the RI and help us bring you more lectures: rigb.org/support-us/donate-ri
Our editorial policy: rigb.org/editing-ri-talks-and-moderating-comments
Subscribe for the latest science videos: bit.ly/RiNewsletter
__________
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:07 The big questions of particle physics
3:27 The Standard Model
6:58 Neutrinos: the most abundant particle in the universe
10:08 Why have you never seen one?
14:22 Demonstration: what "small" means in particle physics
21:09 The solar neutrino problem
24:43 Neutrino oscillation explained
36:02 The experimental proof: SNO and Super-Kamiokande
43:47 Why does the universe exist? Matter vs antimatter
48:55 DUNE: the next generation experiment
57:58 Summary
__________
#Neutrinos #ParticlePhysics #RoyalInstitution #Physics #QuantumMechanics #StandardModel #Antimatter #NeutrinoOscillation #GhostParticle #BigBang #DUNE #Fermilab #Oxford #Science #Astrophysics #SubatomicParticles #MatterAntimatter #KirstyDuffy #EvenBananas #FutureOfPhysics
Product links on this page may be affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link.
