Maritime science and the visual culture of exploration: the albums of a Victorian naval surgeon
Naval officers in general, and surgeons in particular, played a significant role in the development of maritime science, through their observations and their collections. This richly-illustrated talk explores the visual culture of maritime science, f....
More details | Watch nowStorms, floods and droughts: predicting and reporting adverse weather
2012 was one of the Òtop five wettest years on recordÓ, however the beginning of the year saw a widespread drought across much of the UK.Ê Join David Shukman, Science Editor for BBC News, and Professor Tim Palmer FRS as they discuss extreme and ad....
More details | Watch nowLaputian Newtons: the science and politics of Swift’s ‘Gullivers Travels’
GulliverÕs Travels (1726) contains probably the most famous satire on science in world literature, but the circumstances behind its composition are little known. In this talk, Greg Lynall explains how GulliverÕs ÔVoyage to LaputaÕ was shaped by J....
More details | Watch nowThe Royal Society and the Rothschild ‘Controversy’
In the early months of 1971 the Heath government asked Lord Victor Rothschild to Ôthink the unthinkableÕ in his investigation into government policy. His subsequent report on research funding proposed something the Royal Society judged to be wholly....
More details | Watch nowDiscovery of a dynamic atmosphere at one of Saturn’s moons, Enceladus
In recent years, Enceladus, Saturn's sixth largest moon, has become a major attraction for scientists, with many believing it offers the best hope we have of discovering other life in our solar system. NASA's Cassini spacecraft has been orbiting Satu....
More details | Watch nowGenetics, epigenetics and disease
The human genome sequence has been available for more than a decade, but its significance is still not fully understood. While most human genes have been identified, there is much to learn about the DNA signals that control them. This lecture describ....
More details | Watch nowSustainable materials: with both eyes open
One third of the world's carbon emissions are emitted by industry. Most industrial emissions relate to producing materials, and steel and cement are by far the most important contributors. The industries that make materials are energy-intensive, so h....
More details | Watch nowThe secret mathematicians
Artists are constantly on the hunt for interesting new structures to frame their creative process. From composers to painters, writers to choreographers, the mathematician's palette of shapes, patterns and numbers has proved a powerful inspiration.
More details | Watch nowNobel Lives
An audience with Nobel prize winners John Sulston FRS and Sydney Brenner FRS, who talk to Sarah Montague of BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, about their lives in science and their visions for the future.
More details | Watch nowThe future of the world wide web
Professor Tim Berners-Lee was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of his invention and subsequent development of the world wide web. In this lecture he describes how he sees the future of the web - the Semantic Web - and how the lessons....
More details | Watch nowThe History of the Web Part I: the First 20 Years
Join Professor Wendy Hall FRS as she speaks about the development of the World Wide Web over the past twenty years. She is Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton. Her research interests include the development of web technol....
More details | Watch nowBioinspired technology: from cochlear implants to an artificial pancreas
Biology is inspiring technology, which in turn replaces biology. This global trend towards ageing populations, less active lifestyles and fast-food diets, is leading to more cases of, and earlier onset of, chronic conditions such as Type 2 diabetes a....
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