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Video A still of Peter Wothers during his CHRISTMAS LECTURE
Chemistry CHRISTMAS LECTURES

The modern alchemist – Earth: The philosopher's stone (2012)

Watch Peter Wother's third CHRISTMAS LECTURE.

The modern alchemist – Earth: The philosopher's stone (2012) Read more
Video Peter Wother talking to a crowd of seated children during his CHRISTMAS LECTURE
Chemistry CHRISTMAS LECTURES

The modern alchemist – Water: The fountain of youth (2012)

Watch Peter Wother's 2012 CHRISTMAS LECTURE, all about the power of water.

The modern alchemist – Water: The fountain of youth (2012) Read more
Video Peter Wother talking to a crowd of seated children during his CHRISTMAS LECTURE
Chemistry CHRISTMAS LECTURES

The modern alchemist – Air: The elixir of life (2012)

Watch the first lecture from the 2012 CHRISTMAS LECTURES series.

The modern alchemist – Air: The elixir of life (2012) Read more
Video Hannah Fry presenting a lecture in the Royal Institution Theatre
CHRISTMAS LECTURES Maths

Secrets and lies – How to get lucky (2019)

Hannah Fry explores luck and asks whether probability allow us to understand and predict complex systems.

Secrets and lies – How to get lucky (2019) Read more
Video a pantomime cow is at the Royal Institution lecture theatre, next to her are a woman in a milkmaid outfit and another person in a green shirt
Biology and the human body CHRISTMAS LECTURES

Going viral: How Covid changed science forever – Fighting back (2021)

Jonathan Van-Tam is joined by leading experts to unlock the science of vaccines, variants and viral genetic code.

Going viral: How Covid changed science forever – Fighting back (2021) Read more
Video Jonathan Van-Tam looking at a perspex box filled with colourful ping pong balls and mouse traps that are setting each other off
Biology and the human body CHRISTMAS LECTURES

Going viral: How Covid changed science forever – The perfect storm (2021)

Jonathan Van-Tam is joined by leading experts to reveal the secrets of contagion and the mathematics of disease.

Going viral: How Covid changed science forever – The perfect storm (2021) Read more
Video Jonathan Van-Tam holding up some props of white sticks with red bobbles on them
CHRISTMAS LECTURES

Going viral: How Covid changed science forever – The invisible enemy (2021)

Jonathan Van-Tam is joined by leading experts to explore viruses, the immune system and modern testing technology.

Going viral: How Covid changed science forever – The invisible enemy (2021) Read more
Blog The 2015 CHRISTMAS LECTURES 'How to survive in space'
CHRISTMAS LECTURES

From the lab to the front page

Jim Whiting, BBSRC PhD student from the University of Nottingham, tells us how his experiences as 2015 CHRISTMAS LECTURES Media

From the lab to the front page Read more
Video person in full wetsuit with swim goggles and a nose clip sitting in a paddling pool
CHRISTMAS LECTURES Climate

Planet Earth: A user's guide – Up in the air (2020)

Tara Shine shows how Earth produces a never-ending supply of oxygen, and why today’s increased carbon emissions are dangerous to

Planet Earth: A user's guide – Up in the air (2020) Read more
Video Helen Czerski with a giant light up globe
CHRISTMAS LECTURES Climate

Planet Earth: A user's guide – Water world (2020)

Helen Czerski unpicks the Earth’s heating and plumbing systems, showing how shifting ocean water forms the heart of the Earth's

Planet Earth: A user's guide – Water world (2020) Read more

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