All three lectures will be available on iPlayer in the UK from the 29 December. We will also make them on YouTube for everyon outside the UK on the 31 December. The CHRISTMAS LECTURES are aimed at an ...

These liquids are some of the first examples of metallic gold colloids, made by Michael Faraday over 150 years ago. These liquids are the first examples of metallic gold colloids. They were made, ...

Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue? The answer was first discovered over 150 years ago right here at the Royal Institution using this tube. John Tyndall was a keen mountaineer and spent quite ...

An early example of a chemical battery made up of a stack of plates of two different metals on a wooden base held in place by three glass rods and sandwiched with blotting paper. To use the battery ...

From the first electrical transformer to the tube that told us why the sky is blue, view the actual objects scientists of the Royal Institution built in some of the world's most famous experiments.

Humphry Davy was a chemist and inventor who invented the Davy lamp and a very early form of arc lamp. He was director of the Ri from 1801–1825. Born in Penzance, Sir Humphry Davy attended Truro ...

Why join the Royal Institution as a member? The Ri is a charity that brings the public and scientists together to share their interest and passion for science. We empower people to explore and get ...

The first ever prototype of Davy’s miner’s safety lamp. Created in 1815, it prevented the methane gas present in the depths of the mines from reacting with the flame and exploding. Following a number ...

Practising NHS doctor and leading science presenter Chris van Tulleken will delve deep inside our bodies to explore how the food we eat has a fundamental impact on our own health and that of our ...

The Royal Institution was founded to 'introduce new technologies and teach science to the general public through lectures and demonstrations'. We've been connecting people to science for over 200 ...

Faraday created the first transformer in August 1831. A few months later he designed and made this simple piece of apparatus based on his ring, developing the first-ever electric generator. This is ...