The Royal Institution

Magician Billy Kidd fools Professor Bruce Hood with the classic Cups and Balls trick by tricking his brain which s

Professor Bruce Hood demonstratse the kanizsa illusion on the audience. The kanizsa

The Croydon Juggling Club do a fan

Professor Bruce Hood shows an audience an images which changes with every blink, yet the audience fail to see big changes such as a disappearing tree and car. This is called change blindness. Everytime your eye blinks, your brain doesn't notice anything different unless you're paying special attention. The brain is regulating our behaviour by telling us what we have to pay attention to, it controls what we learn and how we remember. This clip is part of the Christmas Lectures 2011 presented by Professor Bruce Hood - Lecture Two: Who's in charge here anyway? The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

Professor Bruce Hood shows an illusion which involves a sculpted face, but instead of the usual convex human face of a sculpture, the sculpture is flipped and we're shown the inside of the face but human brains find it hard to recognise it is convex until the head starts turning around. This clip is part of the Christmas Lectures 2011 presented by Professor Bruce Hood - Lecture Three: Are you thinking what I'm thinking? The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

Professor Bruce Hood demonstrates the McGurk Effect on the audience. The McGurk Effect shows how our perception of

Reality is created by the brain and uses past experiences to make sense of the world. But Profe

Professor Bruce Hood demonstrates how a siamese fighting fish will try and protect its territory when it sees its own reflection. This is because they have no sense of 'self'. Humans on the other hand can read other peoples' body language and gage what they're thinking by being able to have a sense of your own 'self''. This clip is part of the Christmas Lectures 2011 presented by Professor Bruce Hood - Lecture Three: Are you thinking what I'm thinking? The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

Professor Vincent Walsh of University College London demonstates the lost of verbal and motor control through using a TMS (Transcranial magnetic stimulation). The TMS induces weak electric currents to the brain. The Ri is on Twitter:

The Stroop Test involves reading the colour of words rather than

Re

Research Engineer Hannah Petto takes us behind the scenes at her workplace, the engine test facility of Caterpil

Dr Peter Wothers demonstrates the remarkable properties of the chemical element xenon with a

Dr Peter Wothers demonstrates the power of a

As part of Lecture One of his 2012 Christmas Lectures, 'The Modern Alchemist', Dr Peter Wothers visits a research lab near Cambridge where they are investigating new fire prevention technologies. Normal air contains 21% Oxygen. Will Peter be able to light a fire in an environment where the air only has only 15% Oxygen? The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter © The Royal Institution 2013.

The cast of West-End musical, Loserville, perform The Elements Song as part of the 2012 Christmas Lect

Dr Peter Wothers weighs a volunteer from the 2012 Christmas Lectures audience with 24 carat pure gold. Finding himself a little short of the right amount, he calls in help from famous chemist Sir Harry Kroto and his gold Nobel Prize medal (awarded in 1996 for his discovery of a new form of Carbon, C60). Calculate your weight in gold: Current gold prices: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=gold+price Weight in gold calculator: http://www.onlygold.com/tutorialpages/yourweightingold.asp The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

Dr Peter Wothers is assisted by Nobel prize winner Sir Harry Kroto. Subscribe for regula

It was the universe's most elusive particle, the linchpin for everything scientists dreamed up to explain how stuff works. It had to be found. But projects as big as CERN's Large Hadron Collider don't happen without dealing and conniving, incredible risks and occasional skullduggery. Buy Sean's book "The Particle at the End of the Universe" - https://geni.us/LQYMuM Award-winning physicist and science popularizer Sean Carroll reveals the history-making forces of insight, rivalry, and wonder that fuelled the Higgs search and how its discovery opens a door into the mind-boggling domain of dark matter and other phenomena we never predicted. Watch the event Q&A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aom5SiHakGM The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter 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.

We caught up with theoretical physicist Sean Carroll to find out why the discovery of the Higgs Boson was such a major breakthrough and what it means for scientists and our conception of reality. Emphasising the importance of fields in particle physics, Sean explores what's in store next at the Large Hadron Collider and discusses and what exactly physicists mean when they refer to 'symmetry'. We ask him what could lie beyond the Higgs and if it is worth spending ove

Following in Michael Faraday's footsteps, Demo Technician Andy Marmery explores the paramagne

In this Friday Evening Discourse at the Royal I

"If you can explain this using common sense and logic, do let me know, because there is a Nobel Pr

We've known for some time that certain animals can navigat

Astronomer and TV presenter, Mark Thompson looks to the skies and points towards the next advancement in space telescopes. Whilst the refracting and reflecting telescopes used by amateurs can see great distances, distortion is caused by peering through the Earth's atmosphere. In contrast, the much larger Hubble space telescope floats above the atmosphere and is able to produce amazing images like Mark's chosen view of the Great Orion Nebula, also known as M42. But Hubble isn't the end of the story. The James Webb Space Telescope is set for launch later in 2018 and, designed to work primarily in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, it will be able to look further and deeper into space than ever before. The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

Why doesn't magenta appear in the rainbow? The answer lies not in physics but in biology. Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe Can you help us translate this video? http://www.youtube.com/timedtext_video?v=iPPYGJjKVco Science presenter Steve Mould demonstrates the strange phenomenon of colour mixing, in which not everything is as it seems. The cone cells within our eyes are responsible for the colours we see, but are only sensitive to Red, Green and Blue light. So how are we able to see so many colours when we can only directly detect three and how do our brains see the colour magenta which doesn't have a wavelength? Steve explains all with the help of his coloured torches and explores how everyday technology fools our brains into seeing more. Find out more about Steve Mould on his nerdy blog http://stevemould.com or @MouldS More about Magenta: http://ekrelliott.wordpress.com/2009/08/18/on-magenta/ The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

Profess

Professor Neil Shubin talks about the discovery of Tiktaalik and one of the greatest

Materials are a defining characteristic of society. The ages of civilization are named after materials and

Prof Frank James, a world-leading expert on all things Faraday, delves into the Royal Institution Archives to reveal one of the very few failures of the great scientist. From 1834 to 1835 Faraday was seeking to isolate the element Fluorine through the electro-chemical techniques used by Humphry Davy to isolate Sodium and Potassium (also at the Ri) in 1807. Faraday's kept a meticulous set of laboratory notes and paragraph 1477 begins with the promising phrase "Worked for fluorine". However, his attempt to disassociate fluorine from molten lead fluoride (PbF2) -- itself a very dangerous substance -- was never successful due to the extreme reactivity of Fluorine. On release it reacted almost immediately with the oxygen in the air and could not be isolated. The problem was only solved around fifty years later by the French Chemist Henri Mossain in 1886, a feat for which he received the Nobel Prize. The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

Will consciousness ever be explained by neuroscientists? The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.faceboo

Most people know the advice about never putting water on an oil fire. We joined Dr Peter Wother

Nitrogen Triiodide is an extremely sensitive explosive compound that, when dry, can be detonated by the lightest of touches or vibrations. For this reason, it should never be contained or transported and we are not aware of any industrial uses. A quantity of NI3 was prepared in the Ri Prep Room before being laid out to dry in the famous Lecture Theatre. This process to

When water is added to quicklime, a fierce exothermic reaction takes place as calcium hydroxide, slaked lime, is formed. To prepare this demo Dr Peter Wothers ordered Calcium Carbonate blocks from a quarry in Portland which were cut up to fit in our furnace by a mason. Each block then took 48 hours to make by he

The world-famous evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins presents the Royal Institution CHRISTMAS LECTURES in 1991. Original broadcast live on the BBC, the series explored "our own growing knowledge of how life grows up in the universe." This is the first lecture in the series entitled "Waking up in the Universe". The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

Materials scientist and Christmas Lecturer Mark Miodownik demonstrates some of the weird properties of ferrofluid. é

Sir David Attenborough looks back almost f

Wednesday 29 May 2013 marks the 60th anniversary of Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay's first climb to the summit of Mount Everest. In two giant tents on the icy ground of Everest base camp, a team of scientists have been conducted research into the effects of low oxygen conditions. Established by Dr Dan Martin in 2007, this is the second major expedition of the Xtreme Everest project. Made up of doctors and scientists from University College London, University of Southampton and Duke University, the project also involved a group of healthy volunteers willing to be subjected to a series of intensive physical tests. The team were braving the extreme conditions to investigate the underlying physiological reasons why some people can cope better with low oxygen conditions than others. Since the first expedition in 2007, the project is focusing not only on the amount of oxygen you can get into your system, but on how well you can deliver that oxygen to where it's needed and how efficiently your body then uses that oxygen. Lying at 5,364 metres, Everest base camp contains around half the amount of oxygen compared to sea level, providing the perfect conditions for testing and research. In this case, the "lab" involves two insulated tents full of the latest medical technology, including two exercise bikes with full gas analysis systems, centrifuges and blood sampling kits -- all of which had to be brought from Lukla airport (a ten day trek). Many of the team work in Intensive Care Units and are interested in examining what happens to the body when there is not enough oxygen reaching their vital organs. Whether through lung failure, a heart attack or a stroke, 90% of intensive care patients suffer from the effects of a shortage of oxygen. The knowledge gained in the extreme conditions at Everest could dramatically increase the chances of patients back home. The film was funded by the Wellcome Trust. Explore the Xtreme Everest website http://www.xtreme

The placebo effect is a long-recognised phenomenon that has played an important part in the history of medicine -- from the healing powers of Stonehenge to administering placebo drugs to modern day patients. But it's not until recently that science has begun to truly understand how the placebo effect really works. Professor Nicholas Humphrey asks why placebos work and reveals their central paradox: If we can effectively cure ourselves by taking placebo medicine, why don't we just heal ourselves straight away? Exploring this paradox from the perspective of evolution, Professor Humphry looks at the associated costs and benefits of pain or illness. How can placebo medications readdress this balance and is a "dose of contrived optimism" just what the doctor ordered? Find out more about Prof Nicholas Humphrey: http://www.humphrey.org.uk 10 Unanswered Science Questions This video is part of a series brought together by the All Times 10s YouTube Channel exploring ten unanswered science questions. To view the greatest minds on YouTube respond, follow the link at the end of the video or click below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFydagCS9fg Explore the All Times 10s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/alltime10s Connect with the Royal Institution The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

Dr Tim Cockerill explores the science behind the most dangerous stunt in the firebreather's repertoire - the human volcano. From the volatility of the fuel to the fire breather's technique, Tim explains how the trick is performed and how everything ultimately depends on the unique properties of oxygen. Tim is a trained firebreather. Please do not try any of the stunts performed in this video at home. Find out more about Tim and his traditional acts of the fairground sideshow, including walking on broken glass and the 'human blockhead': http://www.fire‐eating.com The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

Tim is a trained firebreather. Please DO NOT try any of the stunts performed in this video at hom‐

Andy takes a closer look at one of his favourite demos from the 2012 Christmas Lectures, bringing together a levitating superconductor and a bewildering Möbius strip made from over 2,000 magnets. We'd love it if you helped us translate this video: http://www.youtube.com/timedtext_video?v=zPqEEZa2Gis As his super-conducting boat whizzes along the track, Andy demonstrates the remarkable properties of the superconducting material (Yttrium barium copper oxide) which allows it to seemingly float both above and below the track. Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

An evening of science-themed demos, fireside conversation and song. DemoJam 0 is the pilot of what we hope will be an ongoing web series. Hosted by stand-up mathematician Matt Parker, the night combined brain-bending optics and a cuddly rhinovirus with a particle accelerator that won't work unless everyone in the room stops breathing. Featuring Dr Ben Craven, physicist Suzie Sheehy, biologist Stephen Curry, and musical wizard Jonny Berliner (who summed up the night through the medium of song). DemoJam 0 took place at the Ri on Wednesday 26 October 2011. The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

The sun has been at the centre of human civ

Dr Helen Mason explores what causes solar activity and what we are learning about the Sun from space observations in the ultraviolet and X-ray wavelength ranges. The Sun goes through an 11 year cycle of activity. For the past few years it has been very quiet, but now it is becoming active again, with huge explosions and solar flares which shoot very hot material into space at extremely high speeds. This hot gas can hit the Earth's atmosphere, and cause chaos with modern technology, knocking out satellites, affecting communications, even causing major electrical black-outs. Scientists are currently observing the Sun from space with several different spacecraft: Hinode, Stereo, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory and the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

As part of YouTube Geek Week, the Ri and Dr Tim Cockerill explore the science of Leeches. As

Rare earth ele

In the spirit of recycling, why buy a brand new bazooka when you can fashion one out of everyday household items? The Naked Sc

Professor Richard Dawkins discusses the influences and inspirations that have shaped his life and thinking. Buy Richar

Ri Demo Technician, Andy Marmery, demonstrates what happens when a huge neodymium magnet is dropped through a super-cooled

NEW: Now with French or Spanish subtitles (click on the 'Captions' icon to select). Plu

Antimatter is one the biggest mysteries in fundamental physics, yet this elusive substance is essential to u

Antimatter, an identical, oppositely charged version of normal matter, is one of the most mysterious

Our demo technician Andy needs little excuse to head onto the roof of the Ri building and experiment. To celebrate Halloween he set off a couple of chemical reactions inside two beautifully carved pumpkins: igniting guncotton with an electric fuse and catalysing a decomposition of hydrogen peroxide by potassium iodide (more commonly known as 'elephant's toothpaste'). Happy Halloween! Watch another spooky demo by Andy on the Headsqueeze channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mmUlo88Utw The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

X-Ray Crystall

Tasting food and drinks is a familiar, everyday experience. But

As the field of crystallography celebrates its centenary year we look back at how it all began -- with a father and son team and a humble salt crystal. With the help of archive footage and historic objects from the Ri, Patience Thomson, daughter of William Lawrence Bragg, presents an intimate portrait of her father. From his detailed artworks to his love of detective stories and puzzles, Patience reveals how Lawrence's unique character and analytical mindset led to numerous scientific breakthroughs. Plus, find out how he reacted to receiving news of his Nobel Prize while serving on the front during WW1 at the age of 25 and discover how the Braggs applied their scientific knowledge to aid the war effort. Professor Stephen Curry is also on hand to demonstrate just how important the Braggs' discovery was and how the field of x-ray crystallography has revealed the structure of hundreds of different molecules, from enzymes and proteins to entire viruses. The Braggs' discoveries of 1913 remain at the foundation of modern day techniques and, to date, 29 Nobel Prizes have been awarded to work related to x-ray crystallography. Our thanks to Stephen Curry, Patience Thompson, and filmmaker Thom Hoffman. This film was supported by the Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC): http://www.stfc.ac.uk The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent It's that time of year again! The Royal Institution announces its 2013 online advent calendar... This year's Ri advent series is an ambitious video journey through the human genome. Inspired by the forthcoming 'Life Fantastic' CHRISTMAS LECTURES with Dr Alison Woollard, we'll release a different video each day between 1 December and Christmas Eve. The short films will explore the 23 pairs of human chromosomes and the mitochondrial DNA that make up the building blocks of human life. Highlights include geneticist Dr Adam Rutherford exploring what 'junk' DNA is, a light-hearted look at male baldness with former Christmas lecturer Mark Miodownik, and a visit to Alison's lab at the University of Oxford to learn more about the genetic control of ageing. We'll explain Nobel Prize winning science, take a trip to the zoo and delve into the mysteries of ginger hair. The series will also raise awareness of several rare and not-so-rare genetic disorders such as Alkaptonuria (AKU) as well as other more well known diseases with a hereditary link including breast cancer. Through interviews with experts and personal stories we'll reveal the genetic secrets behind these conditions and highlight the latest cutting-edge research to help prevent, treat and manage them. With thanks to BBSRC: http://bbsrc.ac.uk/ Don't miss the 2013 CHRISTMAS LECTURES on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer: http://rigb.org/christmas-lectures The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org/advent Geneticist Aoife Mclysaght introduces the Ri advent calendar 2013 - our video journey through the human genome. Each day in December we'll release a new short film focussing on the 23 pairs of human chromosomes and the mitochondrial DNA that make up the building blocks of human life. Starting with the largest human chromosome - chromosome 1 - Aoife explores how genes are organised and how genetic information is passed from one generation to the next. Don't miss the

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org/advent

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org/advent. Alkaptonuria (black urine disease) is a rare inherited gene

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent People are now living lo

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent Shoelace-like caps at the end of c

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent When cells divide and multiply to gene

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent It has been specu

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent The human body is made up of more than 200 different types of cell, and it used to be believed that once these cells have grown and differentiated (or specialised) into different types, that their fate is then fixed. In this video science presenter Simon Watt explains how we can re-shape the destiny of our cells by turning adult cells back into stem cells by manipulation of the c-Myc gene on chromosome 8. This discovery led to the award of the Nobel Prize in Medicine to Shinya Yamanaka in 2012. Using our greater understanding of this and related genes, stem cells can be used to make any cell we want. This could, in future, allow us to regrow or repair organs without danger of tissue rejection. With thanks to BBSRC: http://bbsrc.ac.uk/ Don't miss the 2013 CHRISTMAS LECTURES on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer: http://rigb.org/christmas-lectures The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent Blood transfusion used to be a hit & miss affair, until the discovery of blood groups. The group most people have heard of is the ABO group, controlled by a gene on Chromosome 9 as explained by Nicole Thornton. This gene controls what blood type you are - whether A, B, O or AB. However, there are actually over 30 other blood group systems, most of which are extremely rare. Nicole explains the consequences of receiving blood from the wrong blood group as she chats to Olympia Brown, who learns what blood group she is when giving blood, and how important it is that as many different people donate blood, the first stage in the blood transfusion process. With thanks to BBSRC: http://bbsrc.ac.uk/ Don't miss the 2013 CHRISTMAS LECTURES on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer: http://rigb.org/christmas-lectures The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent Our biological clock -- "the day within" -- regulates almost every aspect of our physiology and behaviour, but it doesn't always work on a 24 hour cycle, so our bodies have to constantly adjust to environmental time. Exposure to the light/dark cycle is one of the most important determining factors, without it our internal clock becomes out of sync with the external world. Prof Russell Foster from the University of Oxford explains how studying the response of mice with retinal diseases to a light/dark cycle lead to the discovery of a previously unknown light receptor in the eye: Melanopsin, or OPN4 genes, found on chromosome ten. It is hoped that future research on these light sensitive molecules could open up new opportunities to help people with certain kinds of visual impairments. With thanks to BBSRC: http://bbsrc.ac.uk/ Don't miss the 2013 CHRISTMAS LECTURES on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer: http://rigb.org/christmas-lectures The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent DNA was long considered the blueprint of life, expected to reveal everything there was to know about a particular human being. I

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent Almost every process that g

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent Mistakes in the "recipe" of your DNA -- if bits of code g

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent In order to defend our

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent The human eye is a remarkable feat of engineering, but from the outs

Ginger hair is often singled out, but whilst the visual difference is quite striking, when you look at

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent Do you trust your sense of smell? We u

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent Of all our chromosomes, chromosome 18 is th

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent We all need a bit of cholesterol as i

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent Gentlemen, are you follicly challenged, or heading that w

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent The creation of our sex cells -- sperm and eggs -- is an intricate process which can spell the difference between life and death. We typically inherit 23 pairs of chromosomes from our parents, but when mistakes occur in the process of meiosis (the formation of sperm and egg cells) some sex cells can end up with two copies of the same chromosome. The chromosome that this usually occurs with is chromosome 21. When that sex cell then fuses with another to form an embryo, that embryo inherits 3 copies of chromosome 21 (one from one parent, and two from another) meaning that it has 47 chromosomes instead of 46. As chromosome 21 is one of the shortest chromosomes the embryo can survive this duplication, but the result is a condition called Down's Syndrome, which causes developmental and physical disabilities. TV presenter and biologist Dr Yan Wong explains how this process occurs. With thanks to BBSRC: http://bbsrc.ac.uk/ Don't miss the 2013 CHRISTMAS LECTURES on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer: http://rigb.org/christmas-lectures The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent One of the proteins

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent How do we distinguish light from da

EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent When we're born we usually inherit our father's surname but we also inherit a rather unique type of DNA from our mothers -- mitochondrial DNA. Aoife McLysaght explains how this special genetic link

Andy Marmery finds out what happens when he heats up a glass bauble filled with a tiny amount of water. The results are,