The Royal Institution

Sir Roger Penrose demonstrates the extraordinary moiré patterns produced by overlaying and rotating two identical, repeating patté

Sir Roger Penrose provides a unique insight into the "forbidden symmetry" of his famous penrose tiles and the use of non-repeating patterns in design and architecture. It is a rigorous mathematical theorem that the only crystallographic symmetries are 2-fold, 3-fold, 4-fold, and 6-fold symmetries. Yet, since the 1970s 5-fold, 8-fold, 10-fold and 12-fold "almost" symmetric patterns have been exhibited, showing that such crystallographically "forbidden symmetries" are mathematically possible and deviate from exact symmetry by an arbitrarily small amount. Such patterns are often beautiful to behold and designs based on these arrangements have now been used in many buildings throughout the world. In this Ri event Sir Roger Penrose reveals the mathematical underpinnings and origins of these "forbidden symmetries" and other related patterns. His talk is illustrated with numerous examples of their use in architectural design including a novel version of "Penrose tiling" that appears in the approach to the main entrance of the new Mathematics Institute in Oxford, officially opened in late 2013 (http://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/new-building). The tiling is constructed from several thousand diamond-shaped granite tiles of just two different shapes, decorated simply with circular arcs of stainless steel. The matching of the tiles forces them into an overall pattern which never repeats itself and exhibits remarkable aspects of 5-fold and 10-fold symmetry. Similar features have been found also in the atomic structures of quasi-crystalline materials. The initial discovery of such material earned Dan Shectman the 2011 Nobel Prize for chemistry, his work having launched a completely novel area of crystallography. Images of the completed Mathematics Institute in Oxford courtesy of Vanesa Penrose. The filming and production of this event was supported by the Science and Technology Facilities Council: http://www.stfc.ac.uk. Production by Edward Prosser. Additional cam

In the third annual Ri L'Oréal Young Scientist Centre Unconference, hundreds of student from acrosééal Young Scientist Centre: http://rigb.org/education/loreal-young-scientist-centre Music credits: 1. Action Davis - Rehab (Free Music Archive) 2. Megatroid - Ego Grinding (Free Music Archive) 3. Action Davis - Japanese (Free Music Archive) 4. Broke For Free - Something Elated (Free Music Archive) 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

Pulitzer Prize-winner Jared Diamond takes you on an epic journey into our rapidly receding past

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Watch the English language version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqQlwYv8VQI La cristallographie aux rayéème siècle. Pourtant, on en parle peu et ses origines restent méconnues. Rejoignez-nous pour un voyage animé à travers les 100 ans d'histoire de la cristallographie. Il nous conduira des premiers résultats obtenus en 1913 par les pionniers William Henry et Lawrence Bragg, jusqu'au sol martien ! Construit sur un texte de Stephen Curry, spécialiste de biologie structurale, ce film, produit par le studio d'animation 12foot6, explore l'extraordinaire histoire de la cristallographie. À ce jour, pas moins de 28 prix Nobel ont été attribués à des travaux dans ce domaine. Et la cristallographie reste un outil capital pour déterminer la structure d'une immense variété de molécules complexes. Ce film a été produit à l'occasion du Bragg centenary. Il a reçu le soutien du STFC. La traduction française a été réalisée par Julien Le Bonheur, responsable de la communication scientifique de l'université de Rennes 1: http://aicr2014.univ-rennes1.fr 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

A two-minute animated adventure to Ancient Greece and back again - voiced by Numberphile's James Grime! Often called the "birthplace of civilisation", Ancient Greece heralded numerous advances in philosophy, science, sport and also mathematics. Over six centuries from 600 BC a group of revolutionary thinkers -- from Thales, Pythagoras, Democritus and Aristotle to Euclid, Archimedes and Hypatia of Alexandria -- formalised the rules and language of modern mathematics. For Greek thinkers, maths wasn't simply a means of calculating amounts but a way of testing reality and understanding the true nature of the world around them. Indeed, Pythagoras is believed to have coined both the words "philosophy" ("love of wisdom") and "mathematics" ("that which is learned"). In turn, Euclid came to be known as the "father of geometry". At the heart of this new understanding, was the concept of "the proof", developed by Euclid in what is commonly regarded as the most important and successful mathematical textbook of all time -- the "Stoicheion" or "Elements". Built upon the axiomatic method, mathematical proofs were a way of testing assumptions by building up a mathematical argument using self-evident or assumed statements (or, "axioms"). It is this methodology that formed the foundational language and logic of modern mathematics throughout the world. Indeed, Euclid's Elements was widely used as the seminal maths textbook right up until the start of the twentieth century. Many thanks to James Grime for his expert help on the script and recording the voice-over. Follow him @jamesgrime or find out more at http://singingbanana.com. Thanks also to the wonderful 12foot6 and Phoebe Halstead for bringing our ideas to life in animated form: http://12foot6.com. Music by Bedřich Smetana: Má Vlast Moldau This film was made with the generous support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation http://www.snf.org The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebo

There are two demos in this talk that you can try at home exploring how we perceive and recollect viíño on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/euskalanato/2052487054)

Narcotics have been used by humans since the time of the ancient Egyptians, and even today around 300 million people across the world take drugs each year. But what is a drug? And who is it that should decide what a drug is? In this Ri event chaired by Kate Kelland, EMEA Health and Science Correspondent for Reuters, Sharon Ruston and David Nutt explore the past, present and future of our societal and political attitudes towards drugs. From supposedly "medical" experimentations in the 18th and 19th centuries, to modern-day government drugs policy and the rise of new 'legal highs'. In the 1800s, eminent Ri scientist Humphry Davy carried out numerous experiments on the effects of breathing nitrous oxide, testing it on both himself and others. These experiences lead to his claim that this drug could "destroy our pains and increase our pleasures". Comparing Davy's trials with those of Thomas De Quincey with opium, Sharon Ruston, Professor of Romanticism at Lancaster University, explores what were clearly some rather blurred boundaries between medical and recreational drug use at this time. Both nitrous oxide and opium have become invaluable medicines, the first as an anaesthetic, the second as morphine -- one of our most powerful forms of pain relief. But it seems during these early experimentations that these drugs' were heralded as much for their pleasurable uses as for the control of pain, enabling humans to access a new world of "sublime perception". Such research was aided by the fact that, in Davy's day, science had little, if any, interference from politics. Times have certainly changed, and the use and classification of drugs has become heavily entrenched in politics. In the second half of the talk psychiatrist and neuropsychopharmacologist Prof David Nutt, explores this complex relationship, considering the challenges posed by politics, media and the alcohol industry in the future of drugs policy. Nutt raises some controversial questions, including whet

How can you determine the structure of a complex molecule from a single crystal? Profe

How do X-rays help us uncover the molecular basis of life? In the second part of this mini-series, Professor Stephen Curry takes us on a journey into the Diamond Light Source, one of the UK's most expensive and sophisticated scientific facilities. Generating light brighter than the sun, and hosting a particle accelerator, Diamond is often used to determine the structure of complex molecules. By placing crystalline samples of prot

"If I were to say that the complexity of what we do is the same as the complexity of designing a car, I wouldn't be exaggerating." Since 2007 biomedical engineer Eleanor Stride has been designing a revolutionary new method o

Coming soon... An epic journey into the role of X-ray diffraction in space! Astrobiologist and intrepid science communicator Lewis Dartnell presents a new short film revealing the crucial role that x-ray crystallography is playing in understanding the formation and history of our planetary neighbour, Mars. Explaining the techniques used by the Curiosity Rover to analyse the Martian surface, Lewis reveals what the discovery of clay might mean for the possibility of life on the Red Planet. Joined by space scientists responsible for designing and operating instruments over 60 million kilometres away, Lewis delves into the mysteries of interplanetary exploration including: How do you design reliable instruments for use on other planets? Should we send humans to Mars? And, what does the next mission to the Red Planet look like? Featuring instrument scientist Graeme Hansford (University of Leicester) and John Bridges, a participating scientist with the NASA Mars Science Laboratory working on the current Curiosity mission. This film was supported by the Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC). Find out more about filmmaker Thom Hoffman: http://www.thomhoffman.co.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

An epic journey into the role of X-ray diffraction in space! Astrobiologist and intrepid scie

An epic journey into the role of X-ray diffraction in space! Astrobiologist and intrepid science communi

When the study of crystallography first began over a century ago, it would take scientists a year to read simple molecular structures. Technology advancements and corroborated methods have since shaped the crystallography landscape; enabling scientists, like Judith Howard, to solve simple molecular structures before her morning coffee! In this final part of our series, Judith explains her love affair with crystallography and the ever-changing methods enabling quicker and simpler decoding or increasingly complex structures. Plus, learn about Judith's experiences working with the inspirational pioneer of crystallography, Dorothy Hodgkin. The interview with Judith Howard took place before her Friday Evening Discourse at the Ri on 31 January 2014. Listen to the event: http://rigb.org/whats-on/events-2014/january/public-a-century-of-symmetry-discovered This film was supported by the Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC). 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

Following his previous demonstration of levitating superconductors, Andy returns to the Ri Prep Room to investigate a q

Professor Alan Davies presents a series of groundbreaking experiments pioneered by the Ancient Greeks. Often call

Maybe an asteroid hit Earth. Perhaps a nuclear war reduced our cities to radioactive rubble. Or an avian flu

How do you catch an asteroid? Is there really 'life' on Mars? Could Lego help us reach the Red Planet?

Evolution is powered by variation: the differences in DNA sequence

Subscribe for more science videos :http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe Help us transcribe this lecture: http://www.youtube.com/timedtext_video?v=0g8lANs6zpQ If you were able to make a substance change colour, or turn from a solid to a liquid, would that be magic? Andrew Szydlo leads us through a world of magical molecules and enchanting elements in this Ri event from Wednesday 23 April 2014. From a liquid that boils at room temperature to gases that are heavier than air, this family event is full of practical demonstrations of the magic of chemistry. The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe If you ask people wha

Who needs goal-line technology when you have physics? Watch as Andy explains how a little bit of physics could'v

What would you experience if you jumped into a black hole? Click here to subscribe for more science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe Conventionally, physicists have assumed that if the black hole is large enough, the gravitational forces won't become extreme until you approach the singularity. There, the gravitational pull will be so much stronger on your feet than your head, that you will be 'spaghettified'. Now, a new theory proposes that instead of spaghettification, you will encounter a massive wall of fire that will incinerate you on the spot, before you get close to turning into vermicelli. In this special Ri event, science writer Jennifer Ouellette and physicist Sean Carroll explore the black hole firewall paradox, the exotic physics that underlies the new theory and what the paradox tells us about how new scientific theories are proposed, tested and accepted. 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

CERN physicist Jon Butterworth gives his inside account of the hunt for the Higgs, followed by a Q&A with

Starting with the one simple principle that has powered every rocket that's ever flown, Professor Chris Bishop launches through an explosive journey to the moon and back. Click here to subscribe for more science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe This lecture from the Cambridge science festival is packed with demonstrations of the science that sends people into space. A family-filled lecture theatre sees flying projectiles, the fiery combustion of energetic propellants, and the impressive roar and flame of a hybrid rocket engine. Other great videos from Chris Bishop: The science of fireworks! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmtK2BgmGCw Explosive science https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFQdcKJUijQ Chemical curiosities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti_E2ZKZpC4 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

For more information, visit http://rigb.org/expeRimental ExpeRimental, launching 17 July and brought to you by the Royal Institution, is a series of free short films that make it fun, easy and cheap to do science at home with children aged four to nine. Ignite a child's natural curiosity and explore, question and test some of the fundamentals of science with our hands-on exciting activities. Get involved on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ri.ExpeRimental The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook

Make a really good mixture for blowing soap bubbles, learn why bubbles are always round and find out how to make giant bubble

Build a home-made lava lamp and use a surprising property of citrus fruits to explore the science of

Build a rubber band powered cannon from a crisp tin and a drinks bottle and use it to explore

What happens when you put regular and diet coke cans in water? For a great activity investigating f

Playing with bubbles on the roof of the Ri. We got carried away developing the perfect bubble wand and mixtur

Create a wine glass orchestra in your kitchen and explore how sound is caused by vibrations. For more ideas, and to download an info sheet click here: http://www.rigb.org/families/experimental/singing-wine-glasses Marieke and Tilly experiment with making music and doing science

Explore the magical world of static electricity by making charged objects move without touching them. For more ideas, and to download an info sheet click here: http://www.rigb.org/families/experimental/static-magic In this fun, simple science activity to do at home with children, Sophie Scott and her son investigate static electricity. By rubbing a balloon or straw on a cloth or their clothes, they make balancing pencils, pens, and spoons move without touching them! In these experiments they discover how things with opposite charges attract, and those with the same charge repel. They investigate whether the phenomenon will work with a variety of objects and even a stream of running water, asking questions about the science at play as they go. Download the info sheet for more ideas and further activities here: http://bit.ly/SMInfoSheet ExpeRimental, brought to you by the Royal Institution of Great Britain, is a series of free short films that make it fun, easy and cheap to do science at home with children aged 4 to 10. Our films give you lots of ideas for kids' activities that will help you explore the world around you, question and experiment together. We'll show you how to do the activity and how to make sure adults and children get the most out of it. Why not have a go and then tell us what you think on our Facebook page? https://www.facebook.com/Ri.ExpeRimental For more information, visit http://rigb.org/experimental 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

You did it, we won! The voting is now closed and the results of this project can be seen a’

See who can make the fastest balloon powered car in this fun science activity to

Get children thinking and building like engineers by challenging them to build the tallest tower out of spaghetti and marshmallows For more ideas,

Try out this amazing trick with a coat hanger and s–

Build a homemade parachute, see–– of one parachute compared to another. ExpeRimental, brought to you by the Royal Institution of Great Britain, is a series of free short films that make it fun, easy and cheap to do science at home with children aged 4 to 10. Our films give you lots of ideas for kids' activities that will help you explore the world around you, question and experiment together. We'll show you how to do the activity and how to make sure adults and children get the most out of it. Why not have a go and then tell us what you think on our Facebook page? https://www.facebook.com/Ri.ExpeRimental 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

A beautiful transformation and a curious conundrum. Watch as Andy turns liquid into solid in a matter of seconds, experimenting with a supersaturated solution of sodium acetate. Click here to subscribe for more science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe It just takes one small nudge to spark the transformation of a seemingly stable liquid into a solid. The liquid – a supersaturated solution of sodium acetate – consists of water with more dissolved sodium acetate salt than can be stably sustained. When Andy drops in a salt crystal, he provides the kick needed to start the transformation into the more thermodynamically favourable solid state.

Make an incredible gravity-defying balancing structure and investigate’

Is consciousness real? Could it be just an illusion manufactured in the theatre of our minds? And what use i–– it is largely a scientific mystery. As we interact with the world, stimuli trigger physical processes in our body. Nerve cells transmit messages around the body and through the brain. But how do these physical interactions give rise to the conscious sensations we experience? Can we get conscious sensation from nerve cells alone? In this video theoretical psychologist Professor Nicholas Humphrey asks whether consciousness could all be an illusion. Could it be a mirage constructed in the theatre of our minds? Perhaps the questions we should ask are not centred on sensations themselves, but merely on the appearance of those sensations. And why does consciousness, in any form, exist at all? How did it evolve? The answer might lie in our social interactions. Consciousness elevates our interpretation of the world and the people around us. It alters our psychological profile and breathes joy into our experiences, and makes us value life itself. 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

In 1911 the Australasian Antarctic Expedition formed the first’

The scientific and human story behind the past

This year the L’Oréal Young Scientist Centre team have collaborated on a new programme wi’éal UK & Ireland and educational charity Generating Genius to give promising A-level science students from disadvantaged backgrounds a real insight into what it is like to be a scientist or an engineer. The aim of the four month hands-on programme was to showcase the wealth of exciting careers studying science can lead to and to encourage the students to pursue a science, technology, engineering or mathematics related degree at university. For more info, click here: http://bit.ly/1B3ACJx 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

Chemical reactions are the backbone of technologies at the heart of modern society, but what is happenin’éal – UNESCO European For Women In Science Laureate 2013. Atoms in Action was presented at the Ri on Friday 27 June 2014. This event is part of our all-women line up for Friday Evening Discourses in 2014 as part of our year long celebration of women in science. Subscribe for regular science short films and lectures 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

Our universe isn't just described by mathematics, but it is mathematics. Specifically, it's a

Can science ever really understand consciousness? Is it just an illusion? Ask theoretical psychologist Professor Nicholas Humphrey your questions, and he’ll answer the best in a video we’ll release in a few months’ time. Watch the original video, The Magic of Consciousness here: http://youtu.be/NHXCi6yZ-eA And 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

As part of this year's CHRISTMAS LECTURES, we want to showcase the creativity and ingenuity of the ‘’ will show how the spark of your imagination and some twenty first century tinkering can change the world. But, we would love to showcase the creativity and ingenuity of the maker community too. Are you interested in getting involved? We want to see your projects. Have you hacked yourself a self-timing dog feeder, modified your house’s light switches, or reinvented your phone? No project is too big or too small – submit yours now! As lightbulbs, motors and phones are the lectures' key objects, hacks based around these are particularly welcome. http://www.hackgallery.org/submit The CHRISTMAS LECTURES have been running for over 180 years, and will be broadcast on the BBC in December before going up on the Ri Channel for everyone to watch for free. We won’t be able to feature every project and idea in the lectures themselves, but hopefully on this site we’ll build up a gallery of inventive and exciting hacks that will inspire everyone to have a go themselves. Find out more about the CHRISTMAS LECTURES here: 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

Come and jam with Mortimer at the Ri Lates: Rules of attraction, on Friday 24 October 2014, 6:30’’s first adults-only building takeover. Could you fall in love with a robot? What happens to liquid when you fill it with iron filings? And what does the shape of a penis tell you about an animal’s social life? Find out the answers to these questions and so many more through hands-on workshops, activities, science demonstrations and stimulating talks. Make your own gunpowder, sniff out a partner, play with magnets, have a drink, and grab some food to the live jazz music before practising the rules of courtship at our dance workshops. This night will be an eclectic way to end the week! Talks: The weird world of courtship, Secrets of animal sex, Opposites attract! The magnetic pull of nature. Activities: Love zoo, dissect a heart, judgement calls, robot love, attractive stuff, LEGO beginnings of the Universe. Workshops: Gunpowder making, dating games, archives tour, blues dancing class. 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

World War I drove great advances in science and technology, but less well-known is its impact on medicine. Hear the story of the stretcher bearers at the heart of this medical revolution, and explore the evolution of diagnostics and treatment of 'war neurosis'. Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe Emily Mayhew tells the story of the stretcher bearers of WW1 who were at the heart of this medical revolution. Then, Louis and Marc-Antoine Crocq explore the evolution of the diagnostics and treatment of ’war neurosis’. This event was organised in association with the French Embassy, and was filmed at the Ri on 23 September 2014. Emily Mayhew is a research associate at Imperial College London and has written 'The reconstruction of warriors' and 'Wounded: The long journey home from The Great War', which was shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize. Louis Crocq is a psychiatrist and clinical psychologist who specialises in war neurosis. He is also an an associate emeritus professor at Paris Descartes University. He will be presenting with his son Marc-Antoine who is also a psychiatrist. The event was chaired by Carla Valentine, technical assistant curator at Barts Pathology Museum in West Smithfield, London. 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

"And the cursed pumpkin rose up from the earth, carried to the ’’s explosive pumpkin exploits here: http://youtu.be/jPrjBJt02ek 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

Whoop! We made it to 100,000 subscribers (and counting). Thanks to all those who have watched, commented and shared. Here's some exploding hydrogen balloons. 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

Two years ago, the Higgs Boson was discovered by the ATLAS and CMS experiments. But how precisely does it fill its role as the last missing piece in the Standard Model of particle physics? Watch the Q&A here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-0sRSo1Ir4 The Large Hadron Collider will restart in 2015 with almost double the collision energy to test just that. But even then, this theory only accounts for 5% of the Universe, and does not include gravity.Can the LHC shed light on the origin of dark matter? Why is gravity so much weaker than the other forces? Dr Pippa Wells explains how the LHC will explore these mysteries of matter. Pippa Wells was the Inner Detector System Project Leader on the ATLAS Experiment at CERN. ATLAS is one of two general-purpose detectors at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It investigates a wide range of physics, from the search for the Higgs boson to extra dimensions and particles that could make up dark matter. 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

Have you ever heard ‘evolution’ dismissed as ‘just a theory’? Is a scientific theory no different to the theory that’‘theory’ might simply mean a guess. But a scientific theory respects a somewhat stricter set of requirements. When scientists discuss theories, they are designed as comprehensive explanations for things we observe in nature. They’re founded on strong evidence and provide ways to make real-world predictions that can be tested. While scientific theories aren’t necessarily all accurate or true, they shouldn’t be belittled by their name alone. The theory of natural selection, quantum theory, the theory of general relativity and the germ theory of disease aren’t ‘just theories’. They’re structured explanations of the world around us, and the very foundation of science itself. Read the blog post to find out more: http://www.rigb.org/blog/2014/november/its-just-a-theory The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy

Andrew Pontzen on why the Universe sh–– but then argues that these things are not so weird or unexpected after all. The strangest thing is that our rule-laden cosmos should be so predictable. Andrew Pontzen is a lecturer and Royal Society University Research Fellow at University College London, as well as a musician and science communicator. His work focuses on galaxy formation and computational cosmology, as well as some early-Universe physics. Previously, he has held fellowships at Oxford Astrophysics and at the Kavli Institute for Cosmology in Cambridge. And now, he finds the time to go around the country presenting shows at science festivals. 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

Use fairy lights and a Raspberry Pi to make a beacon that flashes every time a hashtag is ’’ll need to put into your Raspberry Pi to get the action started: http://bit.ly/TwiBeacon In this year’s CHRISTMAS LECTURES electrical and electronics engineer, Prof Danielle George will take three great British inventions - a light bulb, a telephone and a motor - and show you how to adapt them and transform them to do extraordinary things. This is tinkering for the 21st century, using the full array of cutting edge devices that we can lay our hands on: 3D printers, new materials, online collaboration and controlling devices through coding. Find out more here: http://rigb.org/christmas-lectures/sparks-will-fly/about-sparks-will-fly Special thanks to Raspberry Pi for their support with this year’s 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

Use a battery, magnet and LED to make glowing balls of light that will stick to anything magne

This is how we played Tetris on the side of the Shell building in the centre of London with a few hu‘’ filmed at the Royal Institution of Great Britain and due to air on TV this Christmas. The ambitious live demonstration, which transformed the building into a playable Tetris-style game, part of the renowned CHRISTMAS LECTURES tradition since 1825, revealed how viewers can change the world from their very own home by taking control of the devices and everyday objects we use every day. The demo was the finale of the first 2014 lecture. When Joseph Swan demonstrated the first working light bulb in 1878 he could never have dreamed that in 2014 we’d be surrounded by super-bright LED screens and lights that could be controlled using mobile phones. In this lecture, Danielle explains how these technologies work and show how they can be adapted to help you realise your own light bulb moments. She shows you how to send wireless messages using a barbeque, control a firework display with your laptop and use a torch to browse the internet. The lecture was broadcast on BBC Four on December 29 Thumbnail image: Newscast For the curious, the code used to to programme the building can be found here - http://bit.ly/1xaRtKN 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

Meet Mortimer, the drumming robot who is transforming the way humans and robots interact. Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe Louis McCallum from Queen Mary University of London built Mortimer to investigate the way people engage with robots. As machines become more and more integrated in everyday life researchers are looking into our relationships with them. Through the magic of music and science, Mortimer is trying to engage with musicians in a new way. Social activities like playing music are inherently human experiences. Trying to approximate these can help to build long term relationships and increase people’s comfort with robots. The research is investigating how subtle changes like facial expressions and head tilts can have a surprising impact on how people engage with a machine. Find out more about Louis' work here: http://www.louismccallum.com Mortimer stars in the final instalment of the 2014 CHRISTMAS LECTURES, 'Sparks will fly: How to hack your home'. Watch the lecture on December 31 2014 on BBC Four, or see if on the Ri Channel from early 2015: http://richannel.org/christmas-lectures Sparks will fly: How to hack your home A revolution is happening. Across the world people are taking control of the devices we use every day, customising them, creating new things and using the sparks of their imagination to change the world. Now it’s your turn, and you can start with the things you have around you. Electrical and electronics engineer, Prof Danielle George will take three great British inventions - a light bulb, a telephone and a motor - and show you how to adapt them and transform them to do extraordinary things. This is tinkering for the 21st century, using the full array of cutting edge devices that we can lay our hands on: 3D printers, new materials, online collaboration and controlling devices through coding. Inspired by the great inventors and standing on the shoulders of thousands of people playing at