I think we’re now passed the ‘Age of Discovery’ insofar as there are no physics-based mega surprises waiting for us, unless one of our scientific principles is demonstrated to be wildly incorrect for some reason or other.

Our current paradigm is more about waiting for technology to catch up with what we know there is a high likelihood of being but with no way to get into it e.g. operationally viable fusion, zero-point energy realisation, gravity manipulation etc.

So the next ‘big thing’ will most likely be something that scientists are currently trying to access with success being foreseeable not far down the line. For me it’ll probably be viable fusion as that will then open the door to high-energy research, something to which we have very limited access atm. Imagine CERN being powered by fusion and not coal-fired power stations!