Neil Shubin: The Universe Within at The Royal Institution of Great Britain

Overview

For aeons, the Earth has circled the Sun while mountains, seas and entire continents have come and gone. Against this epic backdrop, humanity's place in the cosmos can look tiny and insignificant. But as Neil Shubin shows in this revelatory new talk, the one place where universe, solar system and planet merge is inside the human body.

natomy at the University of Chicago.

The Thing Is...Death

Human remains are reminders of our own mortality, as well as the physical remnants of family, friends, adversaries and strangers. In contemporary society and in many different cultures, showing any disrespect for human remains is taboo; but is this only for remains belonging to ‘insiders’ from the same religion, culture, tribe or community? Are those labelled ‘outsiders’ treated differently? At what point does a human body, or body part, become a 'thing' rather than a person? And once this happens, what are the ethical implications of what we do with it?

Calories and Corsets

Royal Observatory Christmas Lecture: Space talk: Can We Reach the Stars?

Humans have walked on the Moon and robot spacecraft have even travelled to the edge of the Solar System, but space scientist and TV presenter Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock sets her sights much further afield for the Royal Observatory’s Christmas Lecture.

As a child Maggie dreamed of travelling to the stars, but current manned space missions are focused on the International Space Station (ISS) a mere 300 miles above the Earth’s Surface. What if one wanted to travel further, to the very stars themselves? Is this possible with current technology, and if not, what is in the pipeline now that would enable such a journey in the future? Can such travel ever be worth the expense and risk, and what will we find out there?

Space Talks programme

This event is part of our regular Space Talks programme in which guest scientists are invited to explain the latest cutting-edge discoveries in astronomy and space science in an engaging and accessible way. All talks are suitable for beginners and no prior knowledge is required: just a healthy dose of curiosity.