The Royal Institution Courses

Giant Fishing Dinosaurs - Uncovering Spinosaurus and Baryonyx – With David Hone

Explores how Spinosaurus and Baryonyx lived, fed, and may have swum, using fossils and scientific analysis to reassess their ecology.

• YouTube
• 45 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Thinking Better with Mathematics – With Marcus du Sautoy

A mathematician explores how calculus, geometry, probability, diagrams, and networks reveal shortcuts for solving everyday problems.

• YouTube
• 55 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

What Does the Future of Space Travel Look Like? - With Chris Impey

A look at how astronomy, technology, economics, and international competition could shape humanity’s future in space.

• YouTube
• 39 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

The Search for a Theory of Everything – with Yang-Hui He

A historical and mathematical journey through the search for a unified theory of everything, culminating in string theory and modern geometry.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 2 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

How Batteries Power the Modern World - With Paul Shearing

Trace batteries from the voltaic pile to lithium-ion technology while examining how they work, their safety, energy density, cost, and durability.

• YouTube
• 58 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

How Humans Have Genetically Modified Nature – With Beth Shapiro

Explore how hunting, domestication, hybridisation, conservation, and genetic engineering have enabled humans to reshape nature, from ancient DNA to de-extinction.

• YouTube
• 51 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

How Occam's Razor Changed the World of Science - With Johnjoe McFadden

This lecture traces how William of Ockham’s principle of simplicity helped clear a path from medieval metaphysics to modern science.

• YouTube
• 56 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

The Fundamental Patterns That Explain the Universe - With Brian Clegg

A popular-science exploration of patterns—from cosmic background radiation and quantum behavior to DNA and symmetry—that reveal underlying rules of the universe.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 6 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Lessons from Plants - with Beronda Montgomery

Explores how plants sense, adapt, and use experience to survive, then draws lessons for human development, stewardship, and scientific communities.

• YouTube
• 45 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

How to Talk to a Science Denier - With Lee McIntyre

Explores how to build trust and use evidence when talking with people who reject scientific expertise.

• YouTube
• 36 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Is Dark Matter Real? - With Sabine Hossenfelder

Examines evidence for dark matter and explores superfluid dark matter and modified gravity as explanations for cosmic observations.

• YouTube
• 51 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

What Are the New Discoveries in Human Biology? - With Dan Davis

Explores how ingenious technologies, from super-resolution microscopy to cell sorting, have transformed our understanding of human biology and disease.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 2 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

The Hidden Geometry of Everything - With Jordan Ellenberg

A mathematician reveals how geometry illuminates problems in computing, information theory, probability, and democratic representation.

• YouTube
• 54 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

What Can Intelligent Materials Do? - With Skylar Tibbits

Explore how programmable and self-assembling materials can sense, adapt, and build structures inspired by biological behavior.

• YouTube
• 53 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

How Easy Is It to Grow a Supermassive Black Hole? - With Dr Becky

Explore how supermassive black holes form, grow through matter and non-merger processes, and influence stars, galaxies, and the solar system.

• YouTube
• 45 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video