What does wombat poo have to do with maths? 💩 Kathryn from our Masterclasses team reveals the surprising connection between these adorable Australian mammals and morphological mathematics.

Research shows that people who report being abducted by aliens also have a higher incidence of sleep paralysis. Anomalistic psychologist Chris French explains how his terrifying phenomenon aligns with accounts of alien abductions. Watch the full talk: youtube.com/watch?v=i8mjM3PB_Tk

ARCHIVIST Q&A TIME 🗃️ 🧪 We've been the home of science for over 200 years. Our collection is a treasure trove of science history...and we want to share the best bits with you! Now is your chance to pick Fran's brain and ask your questions—we'll answer a selection in a video! Pop your Qs below 👇

Smart TVs take snapshots of what you're watching, many times per second 📺 Internet of Things expert Anna Maria Mandalari illuminates what we are really giving away in exchange for the convenience of smart devices. Watch the full talk: youtu.be/LCAqdqo-SJU

A diverse diet contributes to a healthy gut microbiome, but there are other unexpected little helpers in our home... 🐈 In the 2024 Christmas Lectures, Chris van Tulleken and Louise Kenny explained how our environment affects our gut. Watch the whole series here: youtube.com/watch?v=FP3-Vq3NiO4

When Large Language Models like ChatGPT generate text, they're using probability to predict the next word, but they don't necessarily "understand" what those words mean. Watch the full talk with science journalist Claire Malone (@geeknproud42.bsky.social): youtube.com/watch?v=CBbLEOirHzI

Nature is often not binary when it comes to sex. For example, did you know there's a species of lizard that doesn't have any males? 🦎 Biologist Josh Davis introduces us to animals reproducing by "virgin birth".

In a torched frozen dessert like a Baked Alaska, meringue acts as a thermal insulator. We had to put this to the test, Ri-style🔥 Watch the full talk with Sorted Food's Ben Ebbrell: youtube.com/watch?v=8vCgNB6osSs

Using the coldness of space to cool down a London bus sounds like sci-fi, but it's already happening! 🚌 Chemist Ivan Parkin explains how radiative cooling paints release heat through a natural “window” in Earth’s atmosphere. 🧪 Watch the full talk: youtu.be/vbmzYz5dEPA

These silly prank candles contain a surprising piece of science history 🎂 Magnesium was first isolated here at the Royal Institution in 1808. Since it ignites at relatively low temperatures, it can make candles relight after they're blown out! 🧪

Tiny differences in our DNA can change how we perceive the world 🧬 Aoife McLysaght explained how variations in the gene OR7D4 on chromosome 17 affect how different people perceive smells.

What happens when every spare moment is filled by a screen? 🧠 @michaelpollan.bsky.social reflects on consciousness, algorithms, and the value of being alone with our thoughts. Watch the full video: youtu.be/2-KPdE4XvHQ

Albumen silver printing soon became the dominant method for producing photographic positives, giving rise to the popularity of the carte de visite—small photographs exchanged between friends and visitors, which historians now regard as an early manifestation of "social media".

Previous methods, like the daguerreotype (L) and the tintype (R), printed on metal and produced only one final image.

Sunlight reduced silver ions to metallic silver particles, creating the image, while the albumen layer held the silver compounds in place and produced a smooth, glossy finish. A bath of sodium thiosulfate fixed the print's exposure, and was sometimes toned and stabilised using gold or selenium.

The image was printed using the albumen silver printing method. The process used paper coated with egg whites (albumen) and salt (sodium chloride or ammonium chloride), then reacted with silver nitrate to form light-sensitive silver chloride.

This iconic portrait was made using egg whites 🥚 For #NationalPortraitDay we're shining a light on one of the best-known photographs of Michael Faraday, taken by British photographer John Watkins around 1861, when the great natural philosopher was in his 70s. #Thread 🧪 🗃️

Calorie information is on the vast majority of food packaging, but it paints an inaccurate picture. 🍿 Geneticist Giles Yeo illuminates how caloric availability affects calorie counting. 🧪 Watch the full talk: youtu.be/pOJYTMe_bp4

Can you 'see' like a Grandmaster? ♟️ Cognitive scientist Fernand Gobet puts our perception to the test. Watch the full talk on the psychology of chess at the l ink on our profile: youtu.be/2pd6xtEAaJE

That puts the Ri in the top 20% of non-domestic properties awarded energy performance ratings in the UK since 2009.

Today, the Royal Institution building is also kept warm by air source heat pumps, thanks to a £4.5m support from @london.gov.uk, enabling us to reduce carbon emissions from our Grade I Listed home by a remarkable 42%.

Heating homes using cold air sounds like magic...but it's just applied physics in air source heat pumps 🪄 Matt Lipson from @undaunted-hq.bsky.social explains how this efficient technology works. Watch the full video here: youtube.com/watch?v=CxbUkCmHkVU

This is gallium: a metal that melts in your hand. 💧 When you place a drop of it on aluminium, it becomes so brittle that it crumbles between your fingers. The culprit is a phenomenon known as liquid metal embrittlement. 🧪

#OnThisDay 35 years ago, the £20 note featuring Michael Faraday went into circulation—and a little piece of Ri history sat in millions of pockets around the UK. 💷 Did you know you can still attend science talks in that very theatre? See what's coming up: rigb.org/whats-on?type=23

Although it's not technically a Faraday cage, it works in a similar way. The system runs around our heritage building, protecting both the building and everyone inside from the effects of lightning and other electrical fields. ⛈️

Would you have guessed that this strip of plastic-coated copper helps protect an entire building from lightning? It’s part of our upgraded lightning protection system installed during works that will reduce our carbon emissions by 35%, supported by a £4.35m investment from the Mayor of London.

When you add water to a chip pan fire, it instantly turns to steam under the superheated oil, blasting burning oil droplets into the air 💥 Ben Ebbrell and Dan from our Demo team showed exactly why you don't want this to happen. 📺 Watch the full talk: youtu.be/8vCgNB6osSs

Loneliness can negatively affect your physical health more than smoking 🧠 Psychologist Bruce Hood illuminated what science can tell us about happiness. Watch the full talk: youtube.com/watch?v=LtGY85JXTUM

The “pendulum of doom” looks terrifying. 🫣 But thanks to the conservation of energy, the cannonball can never swing back higher than the point it was released from. Watch the full show with the Ri Demo team: youtube.com/watch?v=wQTvf2vsxEU

If matter and antimatter had existed in perfectly equal amounts after the Big Bang, our universe would be nothing but light. 💫 Watch the full talk with @tarashears.bsky.social: youtu.be/0Fy6oiIRwJc