Royal Institution Lectures

One of the last acts of Tsar Alexander I before his death in 1825 was to give Humphry Davy a silver-gilt cup — the Davy cup. It was a token of gratitude for Davy’s invention of the miners’ safety lamp ten years before. With appropriately explosive demonstrations, Frank James will showcase Davy’s experimental development of his lamp while reflecting on the relationship between science and the state symbolised by the Davy cup, a treasure from the Ri's Faraday Museum.

Cut pizzas in new and fairer ways! Fit a 2p coin through an impossibly small hole! Make a perfect regular pentagon by knotting a piece of paper! Maths is a game. Join stand-up mathematician Matt Parker on a journey through narcissistic numbers, at least two different kinds of infinity and more in this family-friendly event.

In the first of three guest-curated events on Quantum Biology, Jim Al-Khalili invites Philip Ball to introduce how the mysteries of quantum theory might manifest themselves at the biological level. He will explain how the baffling yet powerful theory of the subatomic world might play an important role in biological processes. Sadly, there is no recording for part 2 of this three-part lecture on Quantum biology.

Bacteria are our ancient enemies, evolving ever more clever ways of outmanoeuvring our natural defences and scientific technologies. For millennia, a simple cut or cough could kill. With the development of antibiotics, it seemed we would reign supreme. But now the bacteria are again gaining ground. With antibiotic resistance on the rise, and the development of new drugs having stagnated for decades, we humans might be in a lot of trouble very soon. Why are bacteria so insidious, what tricks do they employ to get the upper hand, and what can we do to stop them? Join Dr Jenny Rohn to explore these questions.

After the storming success of his family-friendly talk at the Ri itself and online, Andrew Szydlo is back to take us through the fantastic world of steel and iron. Expect spectacular white hot reactions, wacky colour changes and chemical illusions in this demonstration-packed performance.

The periodic table has been an emblem of science for over 100 years. Explosions, poisonings, space exploration and novelty Victoria parlour games are all contained within the chemist's favourite poster. Join chemical physicist and material scientist Jamie Gallagher, and geek songstress Helen Arney, on a guided tour of the most famous of scientific images.

In 1950, Bruno Pontecorvo, one of Britain's brightest atomic physicists, disappeared without trace. He re-surfaced six years later: in the USSR. In this talk, based on unprecedented access to archives, letters, surviving family members and scientists, Frank Close exposes the truth of Pontecorvo’s life behind the Iron Curtain, and reveals why he went so suddenly. This lecture is only available as podcast.

What goes on inside the mind of a mathematician? Where does inspiration come from? Fields Medal winner Cédric Villani will combine passion and imagination to take us on a fantastical adventure through the beautiful, mysterious world of mathematics.

We live at a moment of deep change, between one geological time and another. We are moving from the Holocene to new era, the Anthropocene. Only recently we have come to understand that our actions have already altered this planet and that we now shape nature. Jan Zalasiewicz and Christian Schwägerl will come together to discuss the innovations, fears and promise of a pivotal moment in planetary history.

To end Jim Al-Khalili’s series of guest-curated events, three researchers will explain how quantum theory is being applied to their own work in this cutting-edge field of scientific discovery. Nigel Scrutton will explore proton tunnelling in enzymes, Alexandra Olaya-Castro will discuss her latest research in photosynthesis and Jenny Brookes will explain her work on a quantum model of olfaction. This lecture is only available as podcast. Sadly, the second part of this 3-part 'Quantum Biology' series has not been recorded.

How do you learn about the social behaviour of animals that have been extinct for millions of years? Palaeontologist David Hone discusses what the fossil record can – and can’t – tell us about how the dinosaurs lived. Piecing together the behaviour of long extinct groups is naturally very difficult, but can be done with care. New fossil from the Gobi deserts of Mongolia are helping us work out how these animals lived and died together. Sadly part 3 (a lecture by Jon Butterworth) of this 3-part 'Dinosaurs, epigenetics and the Higgs' has not been recorded.

Why your DNA is not your destiny. Molecular biologist Nessa Carey presents an introduction to epigenetics and explains how it shapes life. Sadly part 3 (a lecture by Jon Butterworth) of this 3-part 'Dinosaurs, epigenetics and the Higgs' has not been recorded.

The concept of information is fundamental to all areas of science, and ubiquitous in daily life in the Internet Age. However, it is still not well understood despite being recognised for more than 40 years. In this talk, Daniel Dennett will explore steps towards a unified theory of information, through common threads in evolution, learning, and engineering.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time, 'Breaking Bad' was a show with science at its core. With a genius chemist as its main protagonist, it explored complex themes of morality. Chemist Dave Smith and psychologist Julian Boon will delve into the science behind the show, while screenwriter Paul Viragh will discuss the challenge of representing science on screen. The discussion chaired by author, presenter and 'Breaking Bad' fan Claudia Hammond.

When lasers were invented over half a century ago they were hailed as a “solution looking for a problem”. Since then lasers have come to revolutionise our lives through their practical applications such as data transport and CD/ DVD players, and as a tool for industry and science. The largest and most powerful lasers in the world can be used to make some of the most extreme conditions possible on earth. Scientists around the globe are using these lasers to try to miniaturise particle accelerators, make astrophysical conditions in the lab, and create fusion energy. Dr Kate Lancaster will lead you through this extreme world with demonstrations along the way in celebration of the International Year of Light.

Could extinct species, like mammoths and passenger pigeons, be brought back to life? Beth Shapiro, evolutionary biologist and pioneer in ancient DNA research, takes us through the astonishing and controversial process of de-extinction. From deciding which species should be restored, to sequencing their genomes, to anticipating how revived populations might be overseen in the wild, Shapiro will explore the extraordinary cutting-edge science that is being used to resurrect the past.

First dates, police interviews, doctor-patient communication and commercial sales – they are all driven by talk. And an understanding of how talk works is crucial for success. Elizabeth Stokoe explains how conversation analysis works to provide a scientific understanding of talk as it unfolds in mundane as well as dramatic settings. Rather than being messy and disorderly, she shows that talk is in fact organised systematically. Like behavioural change in ‘nudge’ theory, she also shows how small variations in what we say impacts on what others say and do next. Finally, she will demonstrate how her research findings can underpin communication training – in contrast to role-play and simulation – and upended common assumptions about how talk works.

The maths we learn in school can seem like a dull set of rules, laid down by the ancients and not to be questioned. Jordan Ellenberg will show us how wrong this view is. Maths touches everything we do, allowing us to see the hidden structures beneath the messy and chaotic surface of our daily lives. Maths is the science of not being wrong, worked out through centuries of hard work and argument.

How was the code of DNA cracked? How did it confirm the theory of evolution? And why did life evolve the way it did? To celebrate their ground-breaking new books, Matthew Cobb and Nick Lane will come together to unravel the tangled story of DNA and answer the vital question: why are we as we are, and why are we here at all? This lecture exists out of 2 parts on YouTube (‘Why is life the way it is’ + ‘The Race to Crack the Genetic Code’).

Join Marty Jopson, the BBC One Show’s resident scientist as he takes a sparky journey through the story of electricity. Do you know the difference between current and voltage? With the aid of the audience, Marty will explain. From the Ancient Greeks, through Faraday’s genius, this show aims to put the awesome back into electricity. You may think we have electricity tamed, but are you sure? A show chock full of demonstrations and a plucked chicken. Expect an electrifying performance.

In just one hour, award-winning writer and broadcaster Marcus Chown will attempt to explain the whole world! Everything from finance to thermodynamics, sex to special relativity, human origins to the human brain. Come along and learn why babies are powered by rocket fuel, slime moulds have 13 sexes and 98% of the Universe is invisible.

Nobel laureate, Frank Wilczek’s groundbreaking work in quantum physics was inspired by his intuition to look for a deeper order of beauty in the universe, using simple questions in an attempt to see the whole answer. Wilczek explores how this quest has also guided the work of all great scientific thinkers in the Western world, from Plato to Einstein, and shows us just how deeply intertwined our ideas about perception, beauty and art are with our scientific understanding of the cosmos. On YouTube, this lecture is called 'Quantum Physics and Universal Beauty'.

We now think the Universe is packed with invisible materials – dark matter and dark energy – pulling and pushing the parts that we see. Join BBC Stargazing Live and Sky at Night presenter, Lucie Green as she explores this frontier of understanding with Nobel laureate Adam Riess and other leading cosmologists.

Does writing well matter in an age of instant communication? Drawing on the latest research in linguistics and cognitive science, Steven Pinker will replace the recycled dogma of style guides with reason and evidence. In this brand-new talk, introduced by Lord Melvyn Bragg, Steven will argue that style still matters: in communicating effectively, in enhancing the spread of ideas, in earning a reader’s trust and, not least, in adding beauty to the world.

What makes you forget why you entered a room? Why is it safer for a cat to fall from 32 stories than from seven? And why do you feel more drunk from rum and diet cola than rum and regular cola? Join Australia’s science legend Dr Karl for a whirlwind tour of scientific explanations and bizarre facts. Find out how photos of eyes make you honest, why the phrase "sinister buttocks" gets into students' essays, and what the ‘big cover up' is on kissing.

The properties of light which could not be explained through classical physics helped to kick-start the quantum revolution. Soon after, strange quantum phenomena were described - state superpositions, entanglement and the realisation of "Schrödinger’s cat". In celebration of the International Year of Light, join Nobel Laureate Serge Haroche to explore these quantum phenomena, the role of light in an explosion of discovery and possible applications of the counter-intuitive quantum logic.

Judith Mank leads a tour of how sex is genetically programmed and how sex differences evolve. Males and females in many species are often quite different from one another. The sex of an individual can have profound effects on how an organisms behaves, how it looks, how it lives and, in some cases, even how it dies. These differences are the product of different evolutionary forces acting on males and females, sometimes creating substantial conflicts between the sexes. In this talk, Judith Mank gives a quick tour of how sex is genetically programmed and how sex differences evolve.

Fay Dowker tells the story of general relativity and its interactions with Newtonian physics, from Galileo to cutting edge research on the granularity of spacetime.

Synthetic biology is a new, intriguing technology that could have a huge impact on humans and our environment. Writer and broadcaster Adam Rutherford will chair a panel of experts, including Louise Horsfall, Paul Freemont, Susan Molyneux-Hodgson and Robert Edwards. They will outline the process of designing and building new life forms and discuss the ethical challenges we will face. What impact could synthetic biology have on everyday life, and how far could we, and should we, take this revolutionary science?

From shell-stealing octopuses to snails that suck sharks’ blood, molluscs are a weird bunch. Join marine biologist Helen Scales to find out how hermit crabs like to party and butterflies learnt to swim. This interactive talk dives into the spiralling world of seashells and the bizarre animals that make them.

The idea of building machines that are only nanometres in size is a dream that has formed the basis of Hollywood movies. How realistic is such a goal and how would we go about tackling the challenges that lie in wait? How do we begin to build a machine simply from molecules? Join Neil Champness to explore the future of nanoscale machines.

As Bonfire Night approaches, the ever-popular Andrew Szydlo will bring you a visually spectacular performance explaining the science along the way. With fiery reactions, colour-changing liquids and gunpowder, prepare to come away in amazement.

It is an everyday observation that the offspring of elephants are elephants and the offspring of humans are humans. Our biology is, quite literally, written in our DNA, and the copying and transmission of this genetic information is the most extraordinary process on earth. The ideas of genetics are revolutionary, from Mendel’s perfect 19th century description of the mechanism of heredity, through the molecular revolutions of the 20th century to the present day. Today, new technologies are galvanising disruptive change, not only in our understanding of biology, but in our ability to intervene in the very nature of life itself. What can we change? How? Why? And indeed, should we meddle at all? “The bravest”, said Thucydides, “Are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it”.

To coincide with the release of the second part of his autobiography, Richard Dawkins will discuss the key individuals, institutions and ideas that have inspired and motivated him since the publication of ‘The Selfish Gene’ in 1976. He will describe his life as a scientist that has taken him from the Panama Canal, to encounters with the greatest scientific minds of the 20th Century. He will also reflect on his efforts to popularise scientific ideas, through bestselling books, fiery debates and presenting the 1991 Christmas lectures. This lecture is also available as podcast.

The 20th century gave us two great theories of physics. The general theory of relativity describes the behaviour of very large things, quantum theory the behaviour of very small things. But how can these theories be combined into a ‘theory of everything?’. Astrophysicist John Gribbin will present his own version of the ‘Holy Grail’ of physics, bringing the two theories together in one mathematical package offering the answer to life and the universe.

Is it possible to light up a cancer cell in the brain? Could scorpion venom be the answer? Dr Jim Olson, Paediatric Haematology Oncology Specialist at Seattle Children's Hospital and a member of the Clinical Research Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is developing a radical new technique in the field of fluorescent image-guided surgery, Tumor Paint, that has the potential to transform the way tumors are removed from the brain - by using a special paint the make the cancerous areas glow. Dr Henry Marsh is a leading British neurosurgeon whose pioneering work in brain tumour surgery has been the subject of major award-winning BBC documentaries. His extraordinary memoir, Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery, is an international best-seller, nominated for eight major UK literary prizes and the Sky Arts South Bank Show 2015 Award recipient for Literature and PEN Ackerley Prize. He was made a CBE in 2010. This a rare opportunity to hear and question two of the world's most eminent doctors working in the field of neuroscience.

From Rachel Dolezal to the Charleston church shooting, the subject of race is never far from the headlines. Biological science tells us that ‘races’ may not even be real. but the social sciences tell us that racism certainly is. Can science help us make sense of these undeniably important yet emotive subjects? Writer and broadcaster Adam Rutherford will host a panel of experts including: Richard Crisp, Kenan Malik, Aoife McLysaght and Heidi Mirza for an evidence-based discussion of an always controversial subject. This lecture is also available as podcast.

From the historic Royal Institution, space doctor Kevin Fong takes us on a ride from launch to orbit and the cosmos beyond for the annual children's Christmas Lectures. And there's help direct from outer space as Britain's first astronaut on the International Space Station, Tim Peake, dials in. In the first lecture, Kevin explores and probes second by second what it takes to 'lift off' into space. With Tim only days into his six-month mission, he helps Kevin answer what keeps astronauts safe and on track as they are propelled into orbit. How do you control the energy of 300 tonnes of liquid fuel? What happens to your body if you don't wear a spacesuit? And how do you catch up with a space station travelling at 17,500 mph to finally get inside? With explosive live experiments, guest astronauts in the lecture theatre, and planetary scientist Monica Grady direct from the launch pad in Kazakhstan, we learn all this and more as those thrilling minutes of lift off are recreated.

In the second lecture, Kevin explores life in orbit on board the International Space Station. As Tim settles in to his new home he sends special reports about what it takes to live and work in space. Four hundred kilometres above the Earth, hurtling at a speed of 17,500mph, astronauts' bones and muscles waste away, the oxygen they breathe is artificially made, and they face constant threats from micrometeorites, radiation and extreme temperatures. If a medical emergency strikes, Tim is a very long way from home. In its 15-year lifetime, the International Space Station has never had a major accident. With a British astronaut in orbit, gravity-defying experiments and guest astronauts in the lecture theatre, Dr Fong shows us how to survive life in orbit.

In the third and final lecture, Kevin explores the the next frontier of human space travel. Live from the Station hurtling at 17,500mph, 400 km above the Earth, Tim answers questions directly from the children in the lecture theatre audience. With Tim's help out in Earth's orbit, Kevin investigates how the next generation of astronauts will be propelled across the vast chasm of space to Mars and beyond. So, how will life be artificially sustained as we travel the millions of kilometres to the red planet and on into the cosmos? How will our food last for three years or more? And what is waiting what for us when we finally land? With earth-shattering experiments, top space scientists and our astronaut live from space, Dr Fong reveals how we'll survive that voyage to space's next frontier and beyond.