Royal Institution
@rigb.org
We're an independent charity connecting people of all ages and backgrounds with science.
📺 Home of the #XmasLectures
💥 Weekly science talks online/in person
🌐 rigb.org
📺 Home of the #XmasLectures
💥 Weekly science talks online/in person
🌐 rigb.org
How does carbon dating determine the age of organic material? 🏺
Nanochemist Suze Kundu explains that the technique measures how much of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 has decayed.
🧪 Watch the full talk on the periodic table: youtube.com/watch?v=bgwjnrIL08Y
Nanochemist Suze Kundu explains that the technique measures how much of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 has decayed.
🧪 Watch the full talk on the periodic table: youtube.com/watch?v=bgwjnrIL08Y
November 27, 2025 at 6:29 PM
How does carbon dating determine the age of organic material? 🏺
Nanochemist Suze Kundu explains that the technique measures how much of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 has decayed.
🧪 Watch the full talk on the periodic table: youtube.com/watch?v=bgwjnrIL08Y
Nanochemist Suze Kundu explains that the technique measures how much of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 has decayed.
🧪 Watch the full talk on the periodic table: youtube.com/watch?v=bgwjnrIL08Y
Reposted by Royal Institution
Dinosaurs were nearly wiped out 66 million years ago, long before the start of the Quaternary ice age. However, #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge shows that the few surviving dinosaurs (birds) would go on to become highly successful. Let's meet the ice age dinosaurs featured in the series! 🪶🧪
November 27, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Dinosaurs were nearly wiped out 66 million years ago, long before the start of the Quaternary ice age. However, #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge shows that the few surviving dinosaurs (birds) would go on to become highly successful. Let's meet the ice age dinosaurs featured in the series! 🪶🧪
What if the next frontier in our fight against climate change stretches from the seabed…all the way into space? 🚀🌊
Seagrass meadows are carbon-capturing powerhouses, absorbing CO₂ up to 35 times faster than rainforests.
🧪 #Thread
Seagrass meadows are carbon-capturing powerhouses, absorbing CO₂ up to 35 times faster than rainforests.
🧪 #Thread
November 27, 2025 at 2:05 PM
What if the next frontier in our fight against climate change stretches from the seabed…all the way into space? 🚀🌊
Seagrass meadows are carbon-capturing powerhouses, absorbing CO₂ up to 35 times faster than rainforests.
🧪 #Thread
Seagrass meadows are carbon-capturing powerhouses, absorbing CO₂ up to 35 times faster than rainforests.
🧪 #Thread
Reposted by Royal Institution
At Cambridge I worked with @whipplemuseum.bsky.social and @chuarchives.bsky.social to explore why Bacon’s cell ended up in space 🚀 from Grove’s letter we see that the basic principles were the same - tho the composition of the Bacon’s nickel membrane was kept under the official secrets act 🤫
This once-overlooked invention from the 1800s was crucial in getting astronauts to the Moon 🌕
Follow us behind the scenes in the Ri Archives as @katysduncan.bsky.social uncovers the history of the Grove voltaic cell.
Follow us behind the scenes in the Ri Archives as @katysduncan.bsky.social uncovers the history of the Grove voltaic cell.
November 26, 2025 at 8:22 AM
At Cambridge I worked with @whipplemuseum.bsky.social and @chuarchives.bsky.social to explore why Bacon’s cell ended up in space 🚀 from Grove’s letter we see that the basic principles were the same - tho the composition of the Bacon’s nickel membrane was kept under the official secrets act 🤫
Ready to put your reaction times to the test? 🎮 Join WiFi Wars for their Christmas Bash: a night of festive fun where you control the action with your phone!
WiFi Wars Christmas bash 2025
The WiFi Wars team return home to the Ri for their annual Christmas celebration.
www.rigb.org
November 26, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Ready to put your reaction times to the test? 🎮 Join WiFi Wars for their Christmas Bash: a night of festive fun where you control the action with your phone!
🎧 New podcast episode 🎧
Our 2025 Christmas Lecturer, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, joins us on the podcast to explore the fascinating history of space imaging and her extensive experience in the scientific world.
Listen here: creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...
Our 2025 Christmas Lecturer, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, joins us on the podcast to explore the fascinating history of space imaging and her extensive experience in the scientific world.
Listen here: creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...
November 26, 2025 at 5:07 PM
🎧 New podcast episode 🎧
Our 2025 Christmas Lecturer, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, joins us on the podcast to explore the fascinating history of space imaging and her extensive experience in the scientific world.
Listen here: creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...
Our 2025 Christmas Lecturer, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, joins us on the podcast to explore the fascinating history of space imaging and her extensive experience in the scientific world.
Listen here: creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...
There are only 30 sleeps until Christmas 🎄The wait for the 2025 Christmas Lectures, supported by CGI, is almost over!
If you can't wait until this festive season, dive into our massive video archive, featuring hundreds of Christmas Lectures series, all free to watch 👇
If you can't wait until this festive season, dive into our massive video archive, featuring hundreds of Christmas Lectures series, all free to watch 👇
Watch the Royal Institution CHRISTMAS LECTURES archive
Watch all the Royal Institution CHRISTMAS LECTURES back to 1966, when the lectures were first televised.
www.rigb.org
November 25, 2025 at 6:37 PM
There are only 30 sleeps until Christmas 🎄The wait for the 2025 Christmas Lectures, supported by CGI, is almost over!
If you can't wait until this festive season, dive into our massive video archive, featuring hundreds of Christmas Lectures series, all free to watch 👇
If you can't wait until this festive season, dive into our massive video archive, featuring hundreds of Christmas Lectures series, all free to watch 👇
Don't miss tonight's livestream 👇
Key thought experiments are testing the foundations of physics, namely the interface between quantum physics and general relativity.
Join physicist Vlatko Vedral to discover how the realisation of these theories could transform our understanding of the world around us.
Join physicist Vlatko Vedral to discover how the realisation of these theories could transform our understanding of the world around us.
Thought experiments powering future physics
Vlatko Vedral explores thought experiments which could alter our understanding of the universe if they became reality.
www.rigb.org
November 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Don't miss tonight's livestream 👇
Reposted by Royal Institution
A 3-year-old has astounded doctors with his progress after becoming the 1st person in the world to receive a ground-breaking gene therapy.
Oliver has a rare condition called Hunter syndrome - or MPSII - which causes progressive damage to the body & brain.
🧪🧬 #medsky
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Oliver has a rare condition called Hunter syndrome - or MPSII - which causes progressive damage to the body & brain.
🧪🧬 #medsky
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Hunter syndrome: Boy with rare condition amazes doctors after world-first gene therapy
Oliver has an inherited condition called Hunter syndrome, which causes progressive damage to the body and brain.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 8:30 AM
A 3-year-old has astounded doctors with his progress after becoming the 1st person in the world to receive a ground-breaking gene therapy.
Oliver has a rare condition called Hunter syndrome - or MPSII - which causes progressive damage to the body & brain.
🧪🧬 #medsky
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Oliver has a rare condition called Hunter syndrome - or MPSII - which causes progressive damage to the body & brain.
🧪🧬 #medsky
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Work opportunity 💻
We are looking for a Salesforce Administrator to join our team!
This key role will manage connected Salesforce apps in a multi-cloud environment, managing users and maintaining auditability.
Apply on our website before 8 December 👇
We are looking for a Salesforce Administrator to join our team!
This key role will manage connected Salesforce apps in a multi-cloud environment, managing users and maintaining auditability.
Apply on our website before 8 December 👇
Work with us
Help us to create more opportunities for everyone to enjoy and benefit from science.
www.rigb.org
November 23, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Work opportunity 💻
We are looking for a Salesforce Administrator to join our team!
This key role will manage connected Salesforce apps in a multi-cloud environment, managing users and maintaining auditability.
Apply on our website before 8 December 👇
We are looking for a Salesforce Administrator to join our team!
This key role will manage connected Salesforce apps in a multi-cloud environment, managing users and maintaining auditability.
Apply on our website before 8 December 👇
This once-overlooked invention from the 1800s was crucial in getting astronauts to the Moon 🌕
Follow us behind the scenes in the Ri Archives as @katysduncan.bsky.social uncovers the history of the Grove voltaic cell.
Follow us behind the scenes in the Ri Archives as @katysduncan.bsky.social uncovers the history of the Grove voltaic cell.
November 22, 2025 at 1:13 PM
This once-overlooked invention from the 1800s was crucial in getting astronauts to the Moon 🌕
Follow us behind the scenes in the Ri Archives as @katysduncan.bsky.social uncovers the history of the Grove voltaic cell.
Follow us behind the scenes in the Ri Archives as @katysduncan.bsky.social uncovers the history of the Grove voltaic cell.
This demo cannot...flop 💾
Engineer Danielle George showed us a fun application of some old-school floppy drives.
Watch the full talk on smart machines here: youtube.com/watch?v=ZK5TABdpLvU
🧪
Engineer Danielle George showed us a fun application of some old-school floppy drives.
Watch the full talk on smart machines here: youtube.com/watch?v=ZK5TABdpLvU
🧪
November 21, 2025 at 7:21 PM
This demo cannot...flop 💾
Engineer Danielle George showed us a fun application of some old-school floppy drives.
Watch the full talk on smart machines here: youtube.com/watch?v=ZK5TABdpLvU
🧪
Engineer Danielle George showed us a fun application of some old-school floppy drives.
Watch the full talk on smart machines here: youtube.com/watch?v=ZK5TABdpLvU
🧪
Last week we welcomed guests to the Zero Ready Dinner. A showcase of the inspirational @undaunted-hq.bsky.social partnership with @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social and the @granthamicl.bsky.social, introducing our audience to our journey towards net zero at our Grade I listed home.
November 21, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Last week we welcomed guests to the Zero Ready Dinner. A showcase of the inspirational @undaunted-hq.bsky.social partnership with @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social and the @granthamicl.bsky.social, introducing our audience to our journey towards net zero at our Grade I listed home.
Reposted by Royal Institution
To celebrate #BookWeekScotland we've been sharing some of our fave #kidsbooks featuring maths. To round off the week we have a selection of picture books about famous mathematicians from history. Are there any others you'd add?
#MathsWeekScot #MathsToday #UKMathsChat #kidslit #kidsbooks #booksky 💙📚
#MathsWeekScot #MathsToday #UKMathsChat #kidslit #kidsbooks #booksky 💙📚
November 21, 2025 at 10:03 AM
To celebrate #BookWeekScotland we've been sharing some of our fave #kidsbooks featuring maths. To round off the week we have a selection of picture books about famous mathematicians from history. Are there any others you'd add?
#MathsWeekScot #MathsToday #UKMathsChat #kidslit #kidsbooks #booksky 💙📚
#MathsWeekScot #MathsToday #UKMathsChat #kidslit #kidsbooks #booksky 💙📚
Why do the planets in the Solar System orbit the Sun roughly in the same plane? 🪐
Put simply: when spheres spin, they tend to flatten out. This is also why the Earth isn't a perfect sphere, but it bulges at the equator. 🌍
Put simply: when spheres spin, they tend to flatten out. This is also why the Earth isn't a perfect sphere, but it bulges at the equator. 🌍
November 20, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Why do the planets in the Solar System orbit the Sun roughly in the same plane? 🪐
Put simply: when spheres spin, they tend to flatten out. This is also why the Earth isn't a perfect sphere, but it bulges at the equator. 🌍
Put simply: when spheres spin, they tend to flatten out. This is also why the Earth isn't a perfect sphere, but it bulges at the equator. 🌍
Why are we seeing the Northern Lights more frequently here in the UK? Planetary scientist Marina Galand illustrates how this is due to a period of peak activity from the Sun ☀️
Watch the full talk: youtube.com/watch?v=DGcYBkw5MQ0
Watch the full talk: youtube.com/watch?v=DGcYBkw5MQ0
November 19, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Why are we seeing the Northern Lights more frequently here in the UK? Planetary scientist Marina Galand illustrates how this is due to a period of peak activity from the Sun ☀️
Watch the full talk: youtube.com/watch?v=DGcYBkw5MQ0
Watch the full talk: youtube.com/watch?v=DGcYBkw5MQ0
The dinner that gave Faraday FOMO 🫢 Discover the story of the world’s first underwater banquet in the Thames Tunnel through letters uncovered by @brunelmuseum.bsky.social.
Banquets at the Thames Tunnel: New Sources for the World's First Underwater Dinners - Brunel Museum
Monday 10 November 2025 is the 198th anniversary of an extraordinary dinner, held under the waters of the River Thames in the Thames Tunnel. In our latest blog, Museum volunteer Sue Thomas reveals a…
thebrunelmuseum.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:37 PM
The dinner that gave Faraday FOMO 🫢 Discover the story of the world’s first underwater banquet in the Thames Tunnel through letters uncovered by @brunelmuseum.bsky.social.
Watch the 2025 Christmas Lectures, supported by CGI, as they come to life! 📽️
Organisations across the UK will livestream the lectures as they're being filmed at the Ri this December. www.rigb.org/christmas-le...
Organisations across the UK will livestream the lectures as they're being filmed at the Ri this December. www.rigb.org/christmas-le...
2025 CHRISTMAS LECTURES livestreaming
Find out where across the country you can watch a livestreaming of the 2025 CHRISTMAS LECTURES.
www.rigb.org
November 17, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Watch the 2025 Christmas Lectures, supported by CGI, as they come to life! 📽️
Organisations across the UK will livestream the lectures as they're being filmed at the Ri this December. www.rigb.org/christmas-le...
Organisations across the UK will livestream the lectures as they're being filmed at the Ri this December. www.rigb.org/christmas-le...
💼 Work opportunity
We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced Archivist to continue archiving the Ri’s collection and to review, refine, and further develop our archive structure and systems.
Apply here before 24 November: rigb.org/about-us/work-with-us#a7xPy000000hmfhIAA
We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced Archivist to continue archiving the Ri’s collection and to review, refine, and further develop our archive structure and systems.
Apply here before 24 November: rigb.org/about-us/work-with-us#a7xPy000000hmfhIAA
November 16, 2025 at 9:15 AM
💼 Work opportunity
We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced Archivist to continue archiving the Ri’s collection and to review, refine, and further develop our archive structure and systems.
Apply here before 24 November: rigb.org/about-us/work-with-us#a7xPy000000hmfhIAA
We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced Archivist to continue archiving the Ri’s collection and to review, refine, and further develop our archive structure and systems.
Apply here before 24 November: rigb.org/about-us/work-with-us#a7xPy000000hmfhIAA
Potassium and calcium are both metals, but they produce extremely different reactions with water 🫧 💥
Chemistry demonstration virtuoso Andrew Szydlo shows these two elements in action. Watch the full lecture here: youtube.com/watch?v=OYZT3opLedc&t=5174s
Chemistry demonstration virtuoso Andrew Szydlo shows these two elements in action. Watch the full lecture here: youtube.com/watch?v=OYZT3opLedc&t=5174s
November 15, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Potassium and calcium are both metals, but they produce extremely different reactions with water 🫧 💥
Chemistry demonstration virtuoso Andrew Szydlo shows these two elements in action. Watch the full lecture here: youtube.com/watch?v=OYZT3opLedc&t=5174s
Chemistry demonstration virtuoso Andrew Szydlo shows these two elements in action. Watch the full lecture here: youtube.com/watch?v=OYZT3opLedc&t=5174s
The scientific laws of time, space and value allow us to chart how knowledge moves and spreads.
Join physicist and data-visualisation expert César Hidalgo as he uncovers how this helps us understand scientific and economic growth and development.
Join physicist and data-visualisation expert César Hidalgo as he uncovers how this helps us understand scientific and economic growth and development.
An Infinite Alphabet: The Laws of Knowledge
Award winning data-visualistion expert Cesar Hidalgo demonstrates how the movement of knowledge follows scientifically define
www.rigb.org
November 13, 2025 at 4:15 PM
The scientific laws of time, space and value allow us to chart how knowledge moves and spreads.
Join physicist and data-visualisation expert César Hidalgo as he uncovers how this helps us understand scientific and economic growth and development.
Join physicist and data-visualisation expert César Hidalgo as he uncovers how this helps us understand scientific and economic growth and development.
From headphones to Memory Foam, do you know how many everyday things in your home were originally invented for astronauts?
Here are our seven favourite surprising items that we wouldn’t have without space travel. #Thread 🚀
Here are our seven favourite surprising items that we wouldn’t have without space travel. #Thread 🚀
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 PM
From headphones to Memory Foam, do you know how many everyday things in your home were originally invented for astronauts?
Here are our seven favourite surprising items that we wouldn’t have without space travel. #Thread 🚀
Here are our seven favourite surprising items that we wouldn’t have without space travel. #Thread 🚀
Key thought experiments are testing the foundations of physics, namely the interface between quantum physics and general relativity.
Join physicist Vlatko Vedral to discover how the realisation of these theories could transform our understanding of the world around us.
Join physicist Vlatko Vedral to discover how the realisation of these theories could transform our understanding of the world around us.
Thought experiments powering future physics
Vlatko Vedral explores thought experiments which could alter our understanding of the universe if they became reality.
www.rigb.org
November 11, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Key thought experiments are testing the foundations of physics, namely the interface between quantum physics and general relativity.
Join physicist Vlatko Vedral to discover how the realisation of these theories could transform our understanding of the world around us.
Join physicist Vlatko Vedral to discover how the realisation of these theories could transform our understanding of the world around us.
Reposted by Royal Institution
📢 JOB ALERT 📢
Come work with me! @rigb.org is hiring an Archivist, full time, 2 year, fixed-term contract, hybrid working possible.
Please share widely!
More details 👇
www.rigb.org/about-us/wor...
Come work with me! @rigb.org is hiring an Archivist, full time, 2 year, fixed-term contract, hybrid working possible.
Please share widely!
More details 👇
www.rigb.org/about-us/wor...
Work with us
Help us to create more opportunities for everyone to enjoy and benefit from science.
www.rigb.org
November 7, 2025 at 4:18 PM
📢 JOB ALERT 📢
Come work with me! @rigb.org is hiring an Archivist, full time, 2 year, fixed-term contract, hybrid working possible.
Please share widely!
More details 👇
www.rigb.org/about-us/wor...
Come work with me! @rigb.org is hiring an Archivist, full time, 2 year, fixed-term contract, hybrid working possible.
Please share widely!
More details 👇
www.rigb.org/about-us/wor...
Reposted by Royal Institution
Last Friday, we had the final events for #QuantumWeek2025 with Innovate UK's Quantum Business Showcase and a Quantum Schools Event at @rigb.org with marketplaces featuring quantum businesses and universities. In the evening, Professor Jim Al-Khalili gave a Discourse lecture to a packed audience.
November 10, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Last Friday, we had the final events for #QuantumWeek2025 with Innovate UK's Quantum Business Showcase and a Quantum Schools Event at @rigb.org with marketplaces featuring quantum businesses and universities. In the evening, Professor Jim Al-Khalili gave a Discourse lecture to a packed audience.