The Royal Institution Courses

How Does Your Body Clock Work? - Understanding Circadian Rhythms

Discover how your circadian clock maintains 24-hour rhythms, responds to environmental cues, and what happens when modern lifestyles disrupt this vital biological timekeeper.

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

The Rise of Electric Flight - Battery-Powered Aviation and the Future of Air Travel

Explore battery-powered aviation's future with expert insights on electric flight technology, challenges, and solutions for decarbonizing air travel.

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

Can We Take the Measurement of Life Too Far? - Lecture 6

Explore the limits of precision measurement in science and life, examining when our quest for exactness might go too far and the balance between measurable and immeasurable human qualities.

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

Outwards to the Stars - Measurement on Very Large Scales - Lecture 4

Explore how waves measure vast cosmic distances and celestial object velocities through triangulation, radar, and wave analysis techniques in this classic 1981 Royal Institution lecture.

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

Precision Measurement - From Atomic Standards to Automated Control - Lecture 3

Explore the limits of measurement on microscopic scales and discover how automation enables precise machine control in modern industries.

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

The Measurement of Time - Lecture 2

Explore humanity's quest to measure time, from ancient hourglasses to atomic clocks, tracing the evolution of timekeeping precision through pendulums, springs, and quartz crystals.

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

Principles, Standards and Methods - Number Systems and Measurement Foundations - Lecture 1

Explore the evolution of number systems, from decimal to binary, and discover how measurement standards enable modern industrial society and scientific reasoning.

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

Molecules at Work - Lecture 6

Explore how protein molecules function throughout the human body for everyday processes in this final lecture from Sir David Phillips' 1980 Christmas series.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 1 minute
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Haemoglobin - The Breathing Molecule - Lecture 5

Discover how haemoglobin switches between structures to transport oxygen and carbon dioxide, featuring Nobel Prize winner Max Perutz's groundbreaking molecular biology research.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 1 minute
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Eggs, Genes and Proteins - Lecture 4

Delve into the molecular machinery that reads genetic recipes and synthesizes proteins, exploring how DNA directs cell development from a single egg to complex organisms.

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

Muscle Power - 1980 Christmas Lectures 3/6

Explore the fascinating science of muscle mechanics and protein engines in this classic 1980 Christmas Lecture by Sir David Phillips from The Royal Institution.

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

The Power of Enzymes - Machine Tools of Life - Lecture 2

Explore enzyme power and protein structures through X-ray crystallography, discovering how lysozyme kills bacteria and fits like puzzle pieces with complementary molecules.

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

What Are Chickens Made Of? - 1980 Christmas Lectures 1/6

Explore the molecular building blocks of life through proteins and nucleic acids, examining how collagen forms skin and bone while keratin creates hair structure.

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

Rethinking the Origin of Plate Tectonics

Uncover how military funding and secrecy delayed plate tectonic theory for decades, challenging conventional historical narratives about oceanographic discoveries.

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

What Really Happened During the Big Bang?

Explore cutting-edge theories challenging traditional Big Bang cosmology, from black hole origins to multiverse possibilities and eternal cosmic cycles.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 4 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video