Royal Institution of Great Britain

23/08/2026

Galileo first demonstrated his telescope in 1609 🔭

The telescope provided crucial evidence for the heliocentric model, placing the Sun at the centre with the planets orbiting it.

20/08/2026

Talk about suffering for your art! ⚡

Paul Shearing tells us just how committed Alessandro Volta was to learning all about electricity by all means necessary.

Watch the full talk: youtube.com/watch?v=70KKvBc70Vw

18/08/2026

Cats have had mosquito repellents figured out for millions of years 🦟

In the first episode of our new Puzzling Science series, biologist Jaap de Roode explores one of the most surprising questions in animal behaviour: can animals use plants as medicine?

Watch the full video: youtu.be/P98E9G8rrng

13/08/2026

Argon exists as a liquid only within a tiny temperature range. 🌡️

As it boils under room temperature, it rapidly turns into a gas.

in 1894, Ri Manager Lord Rayleigh and William Ramsay announced the discovery of this element, the first of those known as "noble gases" due to their tendency not to react with other substances.

11/08/2026

Sink your teeth into this: tyrannosaur chompers have a unique shape 🦖

Watch the full talk with palaeontologist David Hone: youtu.be/f-jD7kQvyPs

10/08/2026

Severe brain injury can affect an individual to the point where their loved ones don't recognise them 🧠

Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston highlights the ethical considerations of this when looking at the science of brain preservation.

Watch the full talk here: youtube.com/watch?v=RYKDS0MQRH4

08/08/2026

Could a speck of dirt solve a crime? 🔬

Soil forensics expert Lorna Dawson shows us how investigators can narrow down the source of a sample to a shockingly small area.

Watch the full talk: youtube.com/watch?v=rgfsxYAMksA

07/08/2026

Don't miss the solar eclipse on 12 August: it'll be the deepest partial solar eclipse visible from the UK for the next 55 years. 🌍🌕☀️

06/08/2026

Curious minds wanted 📣

This summer holiday, young people can explore science through hands-on activities, engineering challenges and creative problem-solving at our Holiday Workshops.

Book now 👇

Discover our range of school holidays workshops, bringing all areas of science to life.

05/08/2026

Can a quantum computer tell us something about parallel universes? 🌌

Physicist Maria Violaris unpacks the surprising connection between quantum computing and the multiverse—and explains why the debate is far from settled.

Watch the full talk: youtube.com/watch?v=B1WP3jgavbA