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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 1d

A recently-proposed new class of habitable exoplanets could reveal whether we're alone in the Universe.

Astrophysicist Nikku Madhusudhan will share the latest prospects in the search for habitable environments and life beyond the solar system in the next decade. www.rigb.org/whats-on/que...

Royal Institution @rigb.org · 1d

Have you ever poured a bit of water on a very hot pan and seen the droplets "running away"? 🌡️

That's the Leidenfrost effect, which happens when a liquid comes into contact with a surface that has a major temperature difference. 🧪

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 2d

The role of solving the biggest challenges posed by modern science falls to engineering, a field often overlooked or misunderstood.

Join mechanical engineer Shini Somara as she demystifies the role that engineers play in the ecosystem of innovation.

How engineering solves scientific questions

Shini Somara uncovers how engineers are fixing scientific enigmas, revealing the creativity of the engineering approach to pr

www.rigb.org

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 4d

The latest research is challenging the way we think about ageing, resilience, and longevity— both on Earth and in space.

Carina Kern will explore the latest developments in our understanding of ageing, and new interventions that could transform our health span.

Decoding ageing

Biotechnology expert Carina Kern delves into the science of ageing, and whether we might be able to slow the process down.

www.rigb.org

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 5d

The Ig Nobel Prize honours things that make people LAUGH, then THINK.

Past and present winners will gather on stage to ask each other questions about their work. Hear about how research on the unlikeliest of subjects can have important real-world implications.

Ig Nobels Face-to-face

Join new and former Ig Nobel Prize winners to celebrate the awards which make you laugh, then think.

www.rigb.org

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 5d

Mark your calendars!

Our friends at the @instituteofphysics.bsky.social will bring the scientific and tech community together at their 2-day conference.

We're delighted to support this event at our home of science, where we've hosted leading-edge science and discussion for over 200 years.

Institute of Physics @instituteofphysics.bsky.social · 6d

This November, the Royal Institution in London will host two incredible days of talks and discussions with some of the world’s leading minds about quantum's past, present and future - featuring Nobel laureate Prof Anton Zeilinger, Prof Jim Al-Khalili, and more.
Book now 👉 iop.eventsair.com/qst2025/

Image advertising the Quantum Science and Technology event 'The first 100 years; our quantum future' at the Royal Institution, London from 4 to 5 November 2025.

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 6d

Watch the video here, and join us in celebrating the life of a wonderful science communicator and tour de force for the natural world.

youtu.be/i5ZZr5Qcd_M?...

Jane Goodall - Oxygen, an Element for Life

YouTube video by The Royal Institution

youtu.be

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 6d

In December 2012 we asked scientists to explore their favourite elements, and she expressed her love of oxygen and its vital role in sustaining all animal and human life.

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 6d

As a champion for the scientific community, the Ri was lucky to welcome Dame Jane in our Theatre to deliver two of our renowned Ri Discourses. Infancy, Childhood and Adolescence in the Wild Chimpanzee in October 1965 and The Chimpanzee in Nature: Highlights from 23 years in the field in March 1984.

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 6d

We were saddened to hear about the passing of Dame Jane Goodall yesterday.

Dame Jane's work as an ethologist and global advocate will leave a lasting impact.

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 7d

NEW VIDEO

200 years ago, Michael Faraday found a mysterious compound in whale oil. It became one of the cornerstones of organic chemistry: benzene.

Chemist Judy Wu delivers a special Discourse on the discovery that changed science.

🧪 Watch now: youtube.com/watch?v=0kYMUFzylOs

How benzene changed chemistry forever - with Judy Wu

The most useful chemical you've never heard of? Explore the ongoing significance of a chemical compound first isolated at the Ri 200 years ago: benzene. Join this channel to get access to…

www.youtube.com

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 7d

Innovation is an integral part of science, but is it always good? 🧪

Join ethics and technology expert Jeroen van den Hoven as he explores how to ensure our new developments serve the public interest and help to address the grand challenges of society.

Responsible innovation in a digital world

Jeroen van den Hoven examines whether technological progress and moral responsibility can co-exist.

www.rigb.org

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 7d

Find out more today: www.aberdeenplc.com/en-gb/news-a...

Accelerating SDGs: Aberdeen Group & UNESCO partnership driving impact

Discover how Aberdeen Group’s Charitable Foundation and UNESCO partnered to accelerate SDGs through global site-based sustainability initiatives.

www.aberdeenplc.com

Royal Institution @rigb.org · 7d

Part of how they do this is through meaningful partnerships and charitable giving.

One of their most impactful initiatives has been the three-year collaboration with UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, funded through the Aberdeen Group Charitable Foundation.

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 7d

2025 is the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Global Compact, and 10th anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a long-term signatory to the UN Global Compact, Aberdeen Group are proud to support the SDGs.

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 7d

And as we enter the final run-up to Dame Maggie Aderin's series on time and space, we're delighted to share an example of Aberdeen's commitment to environmental principles in shaping the future of investment.

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 7d

Aberdeen Group Charitable Foundation and UNESCO: Accelerating SDGs through impactful partnership

We're grateful to our CHRISTMAS LECTURES Supporting Partner, Aberdeen Investment Trusts, for their valuable contribution to the Ri, enabling us to produce the 2025 CHRISTMAS LECTURES.

Illustration of a globe with hearts on some countries.

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Reposted by Royal Institution

Laura Howes @laurahowes.bsky.social · 7d

Come for the cool solar imagery, stay for the science
😎🧪
@fmorningstar.bsky.social for @cenmag.bsky.social

What causes space weather and how does it affect Earth?

The aurora borealis is a spectacle of space weather, but solar flares and coronal mass ejections have far more Earthly impacts

cen.acs.org

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Reposted by Royal Institution

Heather Shearer @heather-sea55.bsky.social · 8d

🧪 wow. This study shows how the ancestors of large flightless birds like ostriches and emus could once fly…and for very long distances but all apparently lost this ability more or less at the same time

royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Quantitative analysis of stem-palaeognath flight capabilities sheds light on ratite dispersal and flight loss | Biology Letters

Lithornithids are an assemblage of Palaeogene fossil birds thought to represent stem-group members of Palaeognathae. Among extant palaeognaths, which include flightless ratites such as ostriches, only...

royalsocietypublishing.org

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 8d

Treatments for childhood asthma to prevent wheezing and attacks are largely ineffective.

Leading professor Sejal Saglani will explain how her research is uncovering the mechanisms that drive the disease and the progress towards preventing, treating and curing asthma.

Young Lungs: Could childhood asthma be cured?

Paediatric specialist Sejal Saglani presents her leading research in the study of childhood asthma

www.rigb.org

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 8d

🚀 Fascinated by space? This year, the incredible Dr Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock will be giving the iconic Christmas Lectures, supported by CGI.

Join us on an epic voyage through time and space this December! www.rigb.org/christmas-le...

CHRISTMAS LECTURES

Dr Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock will take us on an epic voyage through time and space, in the 2025 CHRISTMAS LECTURES from the Royal Institution, supported by CGI.

www.rigb.org

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 8d

TL;DR
• Perseverance Rover finds rocks with potential biosignatures
• Likely formed by microbes, but could be natural geological process
• Proof can only come from analysing the rocks on Earth
• Budget cuts threaten sample reaching Earth
• Most promising lead in the search for life on Mars yet

Airborne perspective of the area at Jezero Crater.

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 8d

“We’re not saying we have found life”, said Professor Sanjeev Gupta, one of the authors of the study about the rocks, “but we’re saying that it really gives us something to chase”.

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 8d

The only way to confirm the biological nature of the rock markings would be to bring them back to Earth for further analysis.

But there is a flaw in the plan: proposed budget cuts could jeopardise the mission, resulting in a delay or even a cancellation 🚨

Image showing the remains of an ancient delta in Mars' Jezero Crater

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Royal Institution @rigb.org · 8d

The rock markings could also have formed through natural geological processes, but this would require high temperatures, which doesn’t seem to be the case. 🪨

Even so, scientists aren’t ruling this out completely.

An image of the Red Planet created in 2003

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