Skip to main content
Become an Ri Member
  • What's on
  • Learning
  • Explore science
  • Christmas Lectures
  • Visit
  • Support us
  • About us
Become an Ri Member
Video Tony Ryan standing behind two tyres in the Ri theatre

CHRISTMAS LECTURES

Smart stuff – The trainer that ran over the world (2002)

What connects the trainers on your feet to a jumbo jet flying 40,000 feet up in the air?

Smart stuff – The trainer that ran over the world (2002) Read more
Video A still from the 2002 CHRISTMAS LECTURE

CHRISTMAS LECTURES

Smart stuff – The spider that spun a suspension bridge (2002)

Spider silk is an engineering marvel, stronger than steel and tougher than Kevlar.

Smart stuff – The spider that spun a suspension bridge (2002) Read more
Video Neil Johnson talking to a crowd of children in the Ri theatre

CHRISTMAS LECTURES Physics

Arrows of time – Shaping the future (1999)

In his fifth Lecture, Neil Johnson asks: What quantum physics reveals about the future, and will we be able to travel in time?

Arrows of time – Shaping the future (1999) Read more
Video Neil Johnson in his CHRISTMAS LECTURE from 1999

CHRISTMAS LECTURES Maths Physics

Arrows of time – Living on the edge of chaos (1999)

From traffic jams to financial markets, discover how self-organised behaviour emerge in time despite a seemingly chaotic

Arrows of time – Living on the edge of chaos (1999) Read more
Video A yellow ruler being used on graph paper

CHRISTMAS LECTURES Physics

Arrows of time – The quantum leap (1999)

In his third Lecture, Neil Johnson asks why the quantum world is so weird, and does our understanding of it have any practical

Arrows of time – The quantum leap (1999) Read more
Video A still from the 1999 CHRISTMAS LECTURE

CHRISTMAS LECTURES Physics

Arrows of time – Catching the waves (1999)

In his second Lecture, Neil Johnson explores how oscillations of sound or light can define a unit of time.

Arrows of time – Catching the waves (1999) Read more
Video Neil Johnson in his CHRISTMAS LECTURE from 1999

CHRISTMAS LECTURES Physics

Arrows of time – Back to the future (1999)

In his first lecture, physicist Neil Johnson looks into the relativistic nature of time.

Arrows of time – Back to the future (1999) Read more
Video A side profile of Nancy Rothwell, speaking at the Ri theatre

CHRISTMAS LECTURES

Staying alive: The body in balance – Pushing the limits (1998)

In her final Christmas Lecture, Nancy Rothwell reveals some of the incredible adaptations that animals have evolved to cope with

Staying alive: The body in balance – Pushing the limits (1998) Read more
Video Nancy Rothwell stands between two hanging wires with coloured balls on the ends

CHRISTMAS LECTURES

Staying alive: The body in balance – Times of our lives (1998)

In her fourth lecture, Nancy Rothwell explores how our bodies and those of animals are trained by sunlight.

Staying alive: The body in balance – Times of our lives (1998) Read more
Video Nancy Rothwell with chemistry goggles on, holding a set beakers on a green table

CHRISTMAS LECTURES

Staying alive: The body in balance – Chilling out (1998)

In the third of her Christmas Lectures, Dame Nancy Rothwell reveals how humans and animals alike have evolved to keep their body

Staying alive: The body in balance – Chilling out (1998) Read more

Pagination

  • Previous page ‹‹
  • Page 19
  • Next page ››
Back to top

Subscribe to The Ri Newsletter

Sign up now

About the Ri

The Royal Institution is an independent charity dedicated to connecting people to the world of science.

Contact us What we do

About us    Jobs

Venue hire

Make your next event one to remember at our unique central London venue, steeped in 200 years of science history.

Find out more

Support us

Support us in our charitable mission to create opportunities for the public and scientists to explore science together.

Donate online Join the Ri

More ways to support

The Royal Institution, 21 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BS

Find us Museum Licensing Shop

The Royal Institution of Great Britain was granted a royal charter in 1800 and is registered as a charity in England and Wales (227938).

© Royal Institution 2025
  • Terms and conditions
  • Web accessibility
  • Policies
  • Safeguarding

The CHRISTMAS LECTURES® are a registered trademark