Close to Einstein and the Curies, Paul Langevin’s life spanned the twentieth century physics revolution: relativity; radioactivity; quantum mechanics. Cambridge launched his prolific career, including contributions in magnetism, gas ionisation, kinetics and ultrasonics. A consummate teacher, he promoted science education and politically left-wing, he persistently warned against the rise of fascism. Professor Francis Duck, Fellow of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine, formerly at the Royal United Hospital and the University of Bath

India Farnham catches up with Andreas Wasmuht, Director at BRLSI, to learn about its new series of Renaissance talks

A major art and science exhibition celebrating our enduring fascination with Space.

Around 1800, belief in the literal truth of every word in the Bible was almost universally accepted; it was certainly not viewed as the idea of a fundamentalist minority. Scientists, many of whom were clergymen, were confident that learning about God’s works from the book of nature could only confirm what they already knew from the book of scripture. But, as scientific discoveries accumulated, this coherent picture changed. It is valuable for both believers and non-believers to understand how this history developed. Dr Don Cameron, BRLSI Convenor

The Middle East is in upheaval: a widening chasm between state and society, the failure of governing elites to address citizens’ genuine grievances, massive economic mismanagement—all made worse by re...

This Land Is Your Land – The Woody Guthrie Story Dave Merrick & Clive Mills Get an exclusive preview of This Land Is Your Land – The Woody Guthrie Story as Dr Dave Merrick answers questions about the life, music, and legacy of folk legend Woody Guthrie ahead of the event at BRLSI on Friday 13 Febr

When the Voyager II spacecraft flew past Uranus and Neptune in 1986 and 1989, respectively, it revealed a strange new type of world, somewhere between the Gas Giants of Jupiter and Saturn, and rocky terrestrial planets like Earth and Mars. But, since Voyager, these planets have been hidden from view. JWST has changed all that - this incredible telescope can show brilliant views of both the aurora and the entire surrounding upper atmosphere, laying out not only aurorae but also the magnetic fields across the planet. In November 2025 and January 2026, we are undertaking a Grand Tour of Neptune then Uranus. It is the largest JWST planetary observation ever made: we will be revealing the latest images and talking about what we’ve discovered so far. Professor Tom Stallard is a Professor of Astrophysics at Northumbria University, UK. He is a leading planetary astronomer in the UK, who currently has the largest number of JWST hours of any planetary astronomer in the world. In 2019, he was awarded the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) Chapman medal for his research into planetary aurora. He has shared his astronomy with the wider public in a range of ways, including RAS  ‘live from the observatory’ events. He was presented with the title ‘Hoku Kolea’ by the Mauna Kea observatories for his work in public engagement.​ Please note that the speaker will not be in the room but his talk will be streamed live onto the large screen at Queen Square. You can watch the talk on the screen at Queen Square or buy a Watch Online ticket to watch elsewhere.