Keep young minds engaged this summer with our Holiday Workshops ☀️ Check out our range of exciting hands-on workshops, bringing all areas of science to life—including mathematics, computing and engineering.

Since its introduction by Sigmund Freud in the late 19th century, psychoanalysis has been a topic of controversy. 🧠 Neuropsychologist and psychoanalyst Mark Solms will explore whether modern neuroscience could help us to unpick a real scientific basis for the practice.

What happens when every spare moment is filled by a screen? 🧠 @michaelpollan.bsky.social reflects on consciousness, algorithms, and the value of being alone with our thoughts. Watch the full video: youtu.be/2-KPdE4XvHQ

From hands-on chemistry workshops to the making of the world-famous Christmas Lectures, our PhD internships offer a breadth of opportunities to gain experience in science communication. We have 12 placements available for 2026/2027 - applications now open! 👇 www.rigb.org/about-us/wor...

This iconic portrait was made using egg whites 🥚 For #NationalPortraitDay we're shining a light on one of the best-known photographs of Michael Faraday, taken by British photographer John Watkins around 1861, when the great natural philosopher was in his 70s. #Thread 🧪 🗃️

There are 22 theories of consciousness: Michael Pollan explains why none of them work - YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-KP...

How can AI improve statistics and take the pulse of our nation in new ways? Statistician @arthurturrell.bsky.social will illuminate how AI can be used in a considerate manner, for better data.

What allows some species to survive and adapt to new environments, while others are confined to fossils? Join evolutionary biologist @evoswami.bsky.social for a fascinating exploration of life's ever-changing story. 🌍

Calorie information is on the vast majority of food packaging, but it paints an inaccurate picture. 🍿 Geneticist Giles Yeo illuminates how caloric availability affects calorie counting. 🧪 Watch the full talk: youtu.be/pOJYTMe_bp4

I'll be speaking at the RI on Monday eve - do come and help me search for Now!

📣 Are you on a DTP funded by BBSRC, NERC, MRC, AHRC, or EPSRC?? Come intern with us!

PhD students, this one is for you 📣 We have 12 (twelve!) #internship opportunities at the Ri for 2026/2027, including hands-on roles in the world-famous Christmas Lectures!

How do you heat a home with cold air? 🤔 Our Deputy Director, Matt Lipson, dives into the physics of air source heat pumps ⤵️ Great to hear that @rigb.org is kept toasty using heat pump tech thanks to £4.5m from the Greater London Authority, which means an amazing 42% reduction in carbon emissions!

Want to have a hands-on experience with how big the telescopes we sent to space are? How about hearing the edge of the visible universe? Would you like to touch a meteorite as old as the Sun? All of this and much more, as I tell you the latest about the universe we cannot see!

The top quark is the heaviest known fundamental particle, and it may reveal whether we live in a stable cosmos. Physicist Kate Shaw will lead us on a voyage to find out how leading-edge experiments are bringing us closer to the answer.

From gamma rays to black holes, how do astronomers know about the phenomena in our universe that exist beyond our senses? 🔭 Join Alfredo Carpineti to explore the phenomenal objects and events beyond the visible.

Can you 'see' like a Grandmaster? ♟️ Cognitive scientist Fernand Gobet puts our perception to the test. Watch the full talk on the psychology of chess at the l ink on our profile: youtu.be/2pd6xtEAaJE

Heating homes using cold air sounds like magic...but it's just applied physics in air source heat pumps 🪄 Matt Lipson from @undaunted-hq.bsky.social explains how this efficient technology works. Watch the full video here: youtube.com/watch?v=CxbUkCmHkVU

My @rigb.org talk is now available (free) online. RI is a special place - so much science history, curiosity & wonder in one lecture theatre. Was also great to see some of the equipment used by scientists I refer to in my book. AND I got to explode a hydrogen balloon (life goals!)

From underwater hippo conversations to the science of musical harmony, discover how physics shapes the sounds around us. Sound, science and storytelling will come together with @helenczerski.bsky.social, @philipcball.bsky.social and Trent Burton. 🔊

This is gallium: a metal that melts in your hand. 💧 When you place a drop of it on aluminium, it becomes so brittle that it crumbles between your fingers. The culprit is a phenomenon known as liquid metal embrittlement. 🧪

#OnThisDay 35 years ago, the £20 note featuring Michael Faraday went into circulation—and a little piece of Ri history sat in millions of pockets around the UK. 💷 Did you know you can still attend science talks in that very theatre? See what's coming up: rigb.org/whats-on?type=23

Would you have guessed that this strip of plastic-coated copper helps protect an entire building from lightning? It’s part of our upgraded lightning protection system installed during works that will reduce our carbon emissions by 35%, supported by a £4.35m investment from the Mayor of London.

When you add water to a chip pan fire, it instantly turns to steam under the superheated oil, blasting burning oil droplets into the air 💥 Ben Ebbrell and Dan from our Demo team showed exactly why you don't want this to happen. 📺 Watch the full talk: youtu.be/8vCgNB6osSs

We're mixing mass retro gaming, comedy and science for an explosive summer cocktail! ☀️ Join the Ri Demo team and Wifi Wars for a one-of-a-kind show. Book now 👇

Loneliness can negatively affect your physical health more than smoking 🧠 Psychologist Bruce Hood illuminated what science can tell us about happiness. Watch the full talk: youtube.com/watch?v=LtGY85JXTUM

Curious about what's next in science? 🧠 Dive into our summer programme of talks.

The “pendulum of doom” looks terrifying. 🫣 But thanks to the conservation of energy, the cannonball can never swing back higher than the point it was released from. Watch the full show with the Ri Demo team: youtube.com/watch?v=wQTvf2vsxEU

What is “now”? ⏱️ Physics suggests the present moment may not exist at all, while neuroscience argues it could be something our brains construct for us. Join science writer Jo Marchant as she explores the mystery of the present moment.

If matter and antimatter had existed in perfectly equal amounts after the Big Bang, our universe would be nothing but light. 💫 Watch the full talk with @tarashears.bsky.social: youtu.be/0Fy6oiIRwJc

Could the top quark, the heaviest known fundamental particle, reveal whether we live in a stable cosmos? Physicist Kate Shaw will lead us on a voyage of discovery to find out how leading-edge experiments are bringing us closer to the answer.

By combining the skills of physicists and physicians, Photodynamic Therapy uses light to kill living cells without damaging the structural integrity of the surrounding tissue. Join laser medicine expert Stephen Bown as he explains this revolutionary new treatment.

Bees are some of nature’s most impressive engineers. Here’s why hexagons are the perfect shape for their honeycomb. 🐝

The future of healthcare might be smaller, smarter, and more accessible. Join researcher Saumya Kareem Reni to explore how AI and engineering are bringing life-saving tests closer to those who need them most. Book now 👇

Did you know there's a free museum you can visit at the Ri, covering over 200 years of history of science? #NationalMuseumDay

Don't miss tonight's livestream! 💻 Join particle physicist Kirsty Duffy to explore the world of neutrinos: what they are, how they might explain why the universe exists, and the mega-science experiments being built to find out. Book now ⬇️

What has more genes: a banana or a human being? 🍌🧍 The answer might surprise you! Philip Ball reveals how life is a far richer, more ingenious affair than we had guessed. Watch the full talk here: youtube.com/watch?v=tw54LmxR21A

The race to build batteries that charge faster, last longer, and cost less has been a slow game of chemical trial and error. It's time to change the rules. 🔋 Join scientists from the Faraday Institution for an electrifying evening where AI meets electrochemistry.

Could the next breakthrough in computing, energy or medicine come from a material we haven’t discovered yet? Find out how scientists design entirely new materials in this six-part course with Physics lecturer Chiara Gattinoni.

Are you an investor, industry leader, tech transfer office, venture builder, or accelerator looking to explore the future of climate innovation & how to leverage #AIforGood? Join us for the Climate Solutions Catalyst Summit on 27 May: luma.com/cih43s7c Spread the word with networks & colleagues!

What if extinction wasn’t forever? Join historian of science Sadiah Qureshi as she explores de-extinction, rewilding, and how science is reshaping our understanding of loss, survival, and life itself.

Quantum mechanics may be the most successful theory in science… and also the most confusing. Join Maria Violaris as she demystifies the strangest aspects of quantum physics.

Join a community built on curiosity. 🧠 With Ri Membership, enjoy free or discounted lecture tickets, exclusive events, and a year of fascinating ideas.

New FREE teaching resources alert! We’re excited to launch our new Off-the-shelf Masterclass, in collaboration with the Natural Curriculum and @eraresources.bsky.social. Explore the maths behind intricate honeycomb structures, in the classroom or at home.

Why do Jubilee line trains on the London Underground make that distinctive sound? 🚇 Next time you hop on a Jubilee line train, stop by the Ri—we're just a five-minute walk from Green Park! rigb.org/visit

Read the transcript of Sir David Attenborough's missing Christmas Lecture, unseen for over 50 years! 📖 www.rigb.org/explore-scie...

Can you help us find the missing Christmas Lectures? 📼 31 episodes of the Christmas Lectures broadcast between 1966 and 1973 are missing, presumed "wiped" by the BBC. This includes one of Sir David Attenborough's lectures, not seen since it was first broadcast live over 50 years ago. (1/2)

The @rigb.org pays a most fitting tribute to Sir David upon his 100th birthday with a collection of his lectures; a most appropriate way indeed to honor his life and work communicating the wonders of the natural world to all. www.rigb.org/explore-scie...

Sir David Attenborough's 1973 Christmas Lectures broke the cardinal rule of broadcast television: "never work with animals or children"—and because of that, they gave us some truly magical moments, like this interaction with a ring-tailed lemur.

Happy 100th birthday to national treasure, Sir David Attenborough! 🎂 To mark this fantastic milestone birthday, we rounded up all the animals he brought to his 1973 Christmas Lectures to create a Countdown-style maths challenge you can also play from home.