Talks and shows

In search for immortality

Join Nobel Laureate, Venki Ramakrishnan, to question whether mortality is an inevitable part of human existence.

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The inevitability of death has haunted humanity throughout its history. Belief systems have risen throughout human civilisation to rationalise and console the concept of death, from the afterlife envisioned in Abrahamic religions to recurrent reincarnation in Eastern religions.



However, there is a growing sense of optimism in our contemporary era. Thanks to a stark revolution in biology, our understanding of the ageing process is progressing rapidly. This includes comprehending why some species have such a great lifespan compared to others and poses the question of whether we as a species could overcome the clutches of disease and live for more extraordinary lengths than ever thought possible.



Join Venki Ramakrishnan, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and former president of the Royal Society, as he navigates this leading-edge research and questions whether mortality is an inevitable part of human existence or if advancements could ever come close to immortality. However, the lengths it has taken to develop this understanding begs the question that death may serve an indispensable purpose and what ethical and societal dilemmas could arise if we try to defer it.

Copies of Venki's book 'Why We Die: The New Science of Ageing and the Quest for Immortality' is available to purchase after the talk. 

This event is proudly sponsored by Digital Science as part of their Speaker Series. More information on this series can be found here.

Event type

This is a theatre only event where the speakers and audience are together in our Theatre.

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For any queries regarding this event please get in touch by phone 020 7409 2992 or email events@ri.ac.uk.

About the speaker

Venki Ramakrishnan received the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the structure and function of the ribosome. He leads a research group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK. `He served as president of the Royal Society from 2015 to 2020, and was appointed to the Order of Merit in 2022. His previous book, the scientific memoir Gene Machine, was published in 2018 to critical acclaim.

Timing

Doors to the theatre will open at 6.45pm and the talk will begin at 7.00pm.

Accessibility

The event will take place on the first floor and there is step-free access from the street via lift.

The closest underground station is Green Park, which is step-free.

There is space at floor level in the theatre for wheelchair users.

Seating is usually unreserved for our events. If you and your group require seating reservations, please do let us know by emailing us at events@ri.ac.uk, and we’ll be more than happy to help.

Carers can receive a free ticket to an event by emailing events@ri.ac.uk.

Our theatre is equipped with an Audio Induction Loop. 

Covid guidelines

Face masks are no longer mandatory and wearing one in our Theatre and at other Ri events is at your discretion, however please do not attend the Ri if you are displaying Covid symptoms or, if you have tested, the result remains positive. Thank you for respecting other people and their choices, and for helping us keep all of our visitors and staff safe and well.

Event terms and conditions