From The Royal Institution. Colin Blakemore continues his 1982 CHRISTMAS LECTURES with an exploration of biological navigation systems. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwsBFLaHIdC8Xs-na8lUk3i&si=x8JAyJZ3KzJjqBob Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 Find out more about the CHRISTMAS LECTURES here: https://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures This lecture was recorded at the Ri on 23 December 1982. —…

From The Royal Institution. Colin Blakemore moves onto explaining the internal sensory systems in our bodies in his third CHRISTMAS LECTURE of his 1982 series. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwsBFLaHIdC8Xs-na8lUk3i&si=x8JAyJZ3KzJjqBob Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This lecture was recorded at the Ri on 21 December 1982. Find out more…

From The Royal Institution. In the second lecture of the series, Colin Blakemore explores the science behind the senses, with some animal guests to demonstrate. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwsBFLaHIdC8Xs-na8lUk3i&si=x8JAyJZ3KzJjqBob Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This lecture was recorded at the Ri on 20 December 1982. Find out more…

From The Royal Institution. In the first of his 1982 CHRISTMAS LECTURES series ‘Common sense’, Colin Blakemore discusses how the brain works and how this translates into physical processes. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwsBFLaHIdC8Xs-na8lUk3i&si=x8JAyJZ3KzJjqBob Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This lecture was recorded at the Ri on 18 December…

From The Royal Institution. Find out how our understanding of the planet has been shaped by money. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join Watch the Q&A here (exclusively for our Science Supporters): https://youtu.be/aL0smntJdi8 This talk was recorded at the Ri on 12 May 2025. Many historians have thought that U.S. Navy funding…

From The Royal Institution. Our ability to make very precise measurements has impacted the process of science in innumerable positive ways, but is it possible to take it too far? Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZw-UIpDJcH_g8d6Ii84pEDs&si=6_78ZnKHL-OglB4x Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 6 Dec 1981. — From…

From The Royal Institution. In his fourth lecture, RV Jones investigates measurement on very large scales. How are waves used to measure the distance between stars or how fast celestial objects are moving in relation to us? Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZw-UIpDJcH_g8d6Ii84pEDs&si=6_78ZnKHL-OglB4x Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was…

From The Royal Institution. It is now possible to measure things on very small scales, but how small can we go and how much of this can be automated by computers? Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZw-UIpDJcH_g8d6Ii84pEDs&si=6_78ZnKHL-OglB4x Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 3 Dec 1981. —…

From The Royal Institution. RV Jones explores the history of man’s attempt to measure time, from early hourglasses and pendulum clocks to quartz and atom measuring devices. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZw-UIpDJcH_g8d6Ii84pEDs&si=6_78ZnKHL-OglB4x Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 2 Dec 1981. — This year marks 200…

From The Royal Institution. In his first lecture, RV Jones considers numbers, systems, and in particular the rise of the decimal system and the number zero, as well as the binary system used in computing. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZw-UIpDJcH_g8d6Ii84pEDs&si=6_78ZnKHL-OglB4x Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on…

From The Royal Institution. Both in peace and war, men need to know where they are on the surface of the earth, and nowadays, in space. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZw-UIpDJcH_g8d6Ii84pEDs&si=6_78ZnKHL-OglB4x Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 5 Dec 1981. — From the 1981 programme notes:…

From The Royal Institution. Astrophysicist Niayesh Afshordi explores the latest debates on the origin of our universe. Watch the Q&A here (exclusively for our Science Supporters): https://youtu.be/-dzOKjuTrQ0 Buy Niyayesh’s book ‘Battle of the Big Bang: The New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins’ here: https://geni.us/rk4n This lecture was recorded on 28 June 2025 at the Royal…

From The Royal Institution. In the final lecture of his series, Sir David Phillips takes a look at how we use protein molecules throughout the body for everyday functioning. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwJzRXCqVQbUwmocA5Mefzh&si=2ayVkEMTngvAPmcy Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 6 Dec 1980. — This year…

From The Royal Institution. In his fifth lecture, David Phillips introduces Max Perutz, a pioneer of molecular biology who won the Nobel Prize for his work on haemoglobin. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwJzRXCqVQbUwmocA5Mefzh&si=2ayVkEMTngvAPmcy Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 5 Dec 1980. — This year marks…

From The Royal Institution. In the fourth lecture in this series, Sir David Phillips delves into the science of genes and proteins. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwJzRXCqVQbUwmocA5Mefzh&si=2ayVkEMTngvAPmcy Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 4 Dec 1980. — This year marks 200 years of the Royal Institution…

From The Royal Institution. In his third lecture, Sir David Phillips explores the science of muscles. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwJzRXCqVQbUwmocA5Mefzh&si=2ayVkEMTngvAPmcy Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 3 Dec 1980. — This year marks 200 years of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures — a world famous…

From The Royal Institution. In the second lecture of the series, Sir Phillips investigates the power of the enzymes. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwJzRXCqVQbUwmocA5Mefzh&si=2ayVkEMTngvAPmcy Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 2 Dec 1980. — This year marks 200 years of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures —…

From The Royal Institution. In his first lecture, David Phillips goes past ‘what came first, the chicken or the egg?’ and asks what they’re both made of. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwJzRXCqVQbUwmocA5Mefzh&si=2ayVkEMTngvAPmcy Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 1 Dec 1980. — This year marks 200…

From The Royal Institution. How similar is your microbiome to your dog’s? How do volcanoes influence the microbiome of the earth? And what links the microbiome to epilepsy?  It’s not just the gut that has a microbiome – everything from your phone screen to the soles of your shoes has a community of microorganisms residing…

From The Royal Institution. Jess Wade explains the concept of chirality, and how it might revolutionise technological innovation. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join Watch the Q&A here (exclusively for our Science Supporters): https://youtu.be/VlkHT-0zx9U This lecture was recorded at the Ri on 14 June 2025. Imagine if we could keep our mobile…

From The Royal Institution. Through indirect means, we are able to observe atoms that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZzOq1zfje2o8Y_nIrHmdtbX&si=Q6s4EbX1BAGz-KlO Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 6 Dec 1979. — This year marks 200 years of the Royal Institution Christmas…

From The Royal Institution. Eric Rogers’ fifth lecture explores the structure of atoms and the ability to extract energy from them via fission. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZzOq1zfje2o8Y_nIrHmdtbX&si=Q6s4EbX1BAGz-KlO Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 5 Dec 1979. — This year marks 200 years of the Royal…

From The Royal Institution. Some atoms are radioactive, waiting to explode. Eric Rogers discusses how we study this and its uses in his fourth Christmas Lecture. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZzOq1zfje2o8Y_nIrHmdtbX&si=Q6s4EbX1BAGz-KlO Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 4 Dec 1979. — This year marks 200 years…

From The Royal Institution. In his third Christmas Lecture, Eric Rogers explores what the charges of atoms can tell us about the world. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZzOq1zfje2o8Y_nIrHmdtbX&si=Q6s4EbX1BAGz-KlO Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 3 Dec 1979. — This year marks 200 years of the Royal…

From The Royal Institution. Eric Rogers discusses the movement of molecules and atoms using experiments in his second Christmas Lecture. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZzOq1zfje2o8Y_nIrHmdtbX&si=Q6s4EbX1BAGz-KlO Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 2 Dec 1979. — This year marks 200 years of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures…

From The Royal Institution. In the first lecture, Eric Rogers introduces us to the world of atoms and the unusual properties of liquids. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZzOq1zfje2o8Y_nIrHmdtbX&si=Q6s4EbX1BAGz-KlO Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 1 Dec 1979. — This year marks 200 years of the Royal…

From The Royal Institution. Physicist Thomas A. Searles explores the near-term applications of quantum information technology and how we can be involved. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join Watch the Q&A here (exclusively for our Science Supporters): https://youtu.be/RXv-qV2yxpg This lecture was recorded on 9 June 2025 in collaboration with Blackett Lab Family.…

From The Royal Institution. The 2024 Nobel winner and ‘Godfather of AI’ explains what AI has learned from biological intelligence, and how it might one day surpass it. This lecture will Premiere on Tuesday 22 July 2025, at 5.30pm BST. If you’d like to watch it now, ad-free, join as one of our Science Supporter…

From The Royal Institution. What chemistry would you need to be a Star Wars bounty hunter? What’s the science behind lightsabers? And could you really freeze someone in carbonite? Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe This lecture was recorded on May 4 2025 at the Royal…

From The Royal Institution. In his final lecture, Christopher Zeeman introduces his young audience to the fundamentals of catastrophe theory, in which we learn how gradually changing variables can produce sudden effects. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwp8pim7o_DHhPgsSo-iXbv Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 6 Dec 1978.…

From The Royal Institution. Christopher Zeeman creates mathematical harmony with music. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwp8pim7o_DHhPgsSo-iXbv Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 5 Dec 1978. — From the 1978 programme notes: In his fifth Christmas Lecture, Christopher Zeeman turns his attention to the mathematics of sound,…

From The Royal Institution. Christopher Zeeman explores game theory in his fourth CHRISTMAS LECTURE on mathematics. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwp8pim7o_DHhPgsSo-iXbv Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 4 Dec 1978. — From the 1978 programme notes: In his fourth Christmas Lecture from 1978, Christopher Zeeman moves…

From The Royal Institution. What does a race with a tortoise, renaissance art and a barbershop have to do with mathematics? Christopher Zeeman explores these questions and more as he devotes his third lecture to the concept of infinity. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwp8pim7o_DHhPgsSo-iXbv Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1…

From The Royal Institution. Christopher Zeeman presents the second CHRISTMAS LECTURE from his groundbreaking 1978 series. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwp8pim7o_DHhPgsSo-iXbv Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 2 Dec 1978. — From the 1978 programme notes: As mathematics has developed down the centuries, our concept of…

From The Royal Institution. Christopher Zeeman kicks off the first CHRISTMAS LECTURE on mathematics by exploring the complex properties of linking and knotting. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwp8pim7o_DHhPgsSo-iXbv Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 1 Dec 1978. — From the 1978 programme notes: Across the lecture,…

From The Royal Institution. The Women’s Euros kick off next Wednesday, once again bringing attention to the epidemic of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in women’s football. But why is it that women are six times more likely to suffer from these injuries, and what research is being done to understand it further? This month…

From The Royal Institution. Join Dame Angela McLean, the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, as she discusses the transformative potential of the field of engineering biology. This Discourse was recorded at the Ri on 25 April 2025. Find out more about Discourses here: https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/blog/history-friday-evening-discourse Watch the Q&A here (exclusively for subscribers): https://youtu.be/GKRTtoEpFeI Join this channel to…

From The Royal Institution. Discover the future of battery-powered flight and how it could change air travel. Watch the Q&A here (exclusively for our science supporters): https://youtu.be/FEvsxgTxvuw Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join This lecture was recorded on 19 May in collaboration with the Faraday Institution. 00:00 Intro with Dame Helen Atkinson…

From The Royal Institution. Sir George Porter looks at how sunlight powers sustainable energy sources. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZygm0MdZgXsrwewxKBMvL5y Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 6 Dec 1976. — This year marks 200 years of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures — a world famous series…

From The Royal Institution. Sir George Porter looks at thermodynamics and its role in helping power our lives. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZygm0MdZgXsrwewxKBMvL5y Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 5 Dec 1976. — This year marks 200 years of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures — a…

From The Royal Institution. Man-made light and fuel sources are examined in this lecture by George Porter. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZygm0MdZgXsrwewxKBMvL5y Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 4 Dec 1976. — This year marks 200 years of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures — a world…

From The Royal Institution. Sir George Porter looks at how leaves process light for food. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZygm0MdZgXsrwewxKBMvL5y Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 3 Dec 1976. — This year marks 200 years of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures — a world famous series…

From The Royal Institution. Sir George Porter explores the role the sun plays in creating new life. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZygm0MdZgXsrwewxKBMvL5y Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 2 Dec 1976. — This year marks 200 years of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures — a world…

From The Royal Institution. Sir George Porter takes an in-depth look at how light is structured. Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZygm0MdZgXsrwewxKBMvL5y Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1 This was recorded on 1 Dec 1976. — This year marks 200 years of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures — a world famous…