The Royal Institution (Ri) has set out plans for the conservation of its Grade I Listed building, a central London space recognised internationally for its unique blend of scientific heritage and ...

Sci-fi is not all just fun and games. Megan Stephens reflects on the influence the genre has had on real-life research and technology. We’re all familiar with the trappings of science fiction, many of ...

The 2024 CHRISTMAS LECTURES are on BBC Four and iPlayer 29, 30 and 31 December at 9pm, and on our YouTube channel for those outside the UK. In this year’s Christmas Lectures, Dr Chris van Tulleken ...

On the 200-year anniversary of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, the 2025 Lectures will see leading space scientist Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock take audiences on an epic voyage through time ...

Quantum physics has gone through two major revolutions over the past century, which has transformed how we understand and practise theoretical physics. But what has still been left unanswered through ...

Have you ever wondered what's actually happening to your food when you cook it? Why does it change texture? How does temperature affect flavour? Join physicist David Weitz and chef Ben Ebbrell as they ...

Eline van der Kruk takes us on a journey to the world of biomechanics, a place where computer simulations and smart sensors are being developed to push the boundaries of human movement. The Karl ...

When will the three 2025 CHRISTMAS LECTURES programmes be broadcast? The 2025 CHRISTMAS LECTURES will be broadcast on BBC Four and iPlayer on 28, 29 and 30 December at 7pm. The full lecture series ...

On 18 May 1859, the Irish physicist John Tyndall wrote in his journal ‘the subject is completely in my hands’. This is no cryptic note. Just nine days earlier he had set up his complex and clever new ...

When ChatGPT-3 crash-landed onto our computers in November 2022, you’d have been forgiven for thinking this massive leap in artificial intelligence had sprung out of nowhere. From one day to the next, ...

Read about how JJ Thomson announced his discovery of the electron at the Royal Institution in this blog by our Head of Heritage and Collections. JJ Thomson, while familiar to scientists, is not ...

The mining and engineering industries in the 19th century relied heavily on gunpowder as an explosive to aid their work. However, storing and transporting gunpowder on wooden sailing ships was ...