Why are the syzygy tidal coefficients equal when the quadrature tidal coefficients are at opposite extremes? Why are the syzygy coefficients at opposite extremes when the others are equal? Who can explain this using the laws of universal gravitation?
Her point is that you can't.
Earlier in that interview she says: I was put in touch with the Institut de Physique du Globe [2]. In April 1953, I met with Professor Coulomb [3], who was the director at the time, and asked him about the ionic variations that might occur during the lunar phases. His formal response was that there were none. However, I had already been observing them for some time. I must say that in 1953 I had already begun to observe the phenomenon of the tides. Being told that, apart from a minimum of atmospheric ionization at 4 a.m., there is nothing else that can have an impact on the biological, human, or other levels, I said: but there is the phenomenon of the tides! And that's when I got this response, which marked a break with the scientific community for me:
The phenomenon of the tides is a phenomenon that is beyond us. We waste our time when we take an interest in phenomena that are beyond us. If you don't want to waste yours, focus on other things.
Jeanne Rousseau demonstrated through observation that tidal phenomena are not solely gravitational but primarily electromagnetic. One can read more about this in English in this paper [4].
[1] https://youtu.be/ytWerrYTBLs
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institut_de_Physique_du_Globe_...
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Coulomb
[4] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/384443419_Cosmic_Re...
The physics of tides is largely well-understood, and the moon and sun provide the primary forcing. Accurate tide tables are regularly computed the world over, with measurements regularly made. Without even looking at measurements, the shipping industry demands accurate tide forecasts for navigating efficiently. The claim that "tidal phenomena are... primarily electromagnetic" requires some serious evidence to back it up, with calculates to boot, rather than invoking mysticism that tides are "beyond us". Many things are beyond our current scientific understanding, and that is humbling, but tides are quite well understood.
I don't have the scientific knowledge to assess all this. I'm not even sure how to understand properly the questions Jeanne Rousseau asks saying newtonian physics can't answer. What I hear however are competent people observing small variation in the properties of water and living systems that seems to be related to cosmic phenomenon, including moon phases. Variations we can also find in the atmosphere/ionosphere with more recent measurements of their ionic polarities. Adding to that are all the new discoveries that link weather phenomenon to electromagnetic influences from the sun, with water significantly influencing the electromagnetic properties of the atmosphere. Finally more people question the true molecular structure of water, as H2O seems to be a crude simplification over a dynamic mixture of isotopes and ions.
Overall the tidal theory is not a done deal, we only have approximate models, and this topic can be discussed for years to come. That's probably why she was told the tides is a phenomenon that is beyond us.