In this very important year for the Ri, marking 200 years of the CHRISTMAS LECTURES, 200 years of Discourses and 200 years since the discovery of Benzene, we are taking the opportunity to look further ...

Agatha Christie revelled in the use of poison to kill off unfortunate victims in her books, using poisons more accurately than any other crime writer. But how is it that some chemicals in such small ...

Join a panel of former Christmas Lecturers to hear how their fields have changed since they presented at the Ri, and relive some of their best moments! Join former Christmas lecturers Hugh Montgomery, ...

Could the atomic energy contained in a gram of radium really drive a ship across the Atlantic? Did a traffic light near the Royal Institution really give Leo Szilard his idea of the chain reaction?

As the aviation industry enters the early stages of the energy transition, researchers are constantly developing renewable technologies to power travel in our skies. With alternative technologies such ...

We all know the movie plots where evil robots and computers take over the world, but what is the reality? This workshop explores artificial intelligence, the field of science that tries to build ...

The Royal Institution (Ri) is an independent charity which has been connecting people with science for over 200 years. The Ri has inspired generations of scientists over the years whose discoveries ...

This workshop explores a concept which astronomers refer to as "The Cosmic Distance Ladder". By measuring progressively larger distances in the solar system, and then beyond, we can get a handle on ...

Discover how maths influenced the life of Shakespeare. What’s the connection between Shakespeare and maths? A lot, as it turns out! Shakespeare grew up in a time of remarkable mathematical innovation.

The Big Bang has long been accepted as the ultimate origin of our universe - but what if it’s just the beginning of the story? In this talk, astrophysicist Niayesh Afshordi will explore the fierce ...

With something for everyone – adults, children and the whole family – discover science directly from the minds of the world’s leading scientists and thinkers.

Modern physics distills the vast richness and diversity of our universe into very few theories. Unfortunately, these theories can be staggeringly complicated, and can hold us back from answering the ...