The Royal Institution

Human-to-human transplants are one of the great successes of post-war surgery, but they also raise some of the most profound ethical and clinical questions in modern medicine. Join us as we explore the innovations and setbacks that characterised the remarkable story of heart transplants, and ask: where next?

Suitable for

• 18+

When

7pm-

Where

The Royal Institution

Admission

£10 standard, £7 concessions, £5 members

Website

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1224

Twenty thousand years ago our planet was an icehouse. Temperatures were down six degrees; ice sheets kilometres thick buried much of Europe and North America and sea levels were 130m lower. The following 15 millennia saw an astonishing transformation as our planet metamorphosed into the temperate world upon which our civilisation has grown and thrived.

One of the most dynamic periods in Earth history saw rocketing temperatures melt the great ice sheets like butter on a hot summer's day; feeding torrents of freshwater into ocean basins that rapidly filled to present levels. The removal of the enormous weight of ice at high latitudes caused the crust to bounce back triggering earthquakes in Europe and North America and provoking an unprecedented volcanic outburst in Iceland. A giant submarine landslide off the coast of Norway sent a tsunami crashing onto the Scottish coast while around the margins of the continents the massive load exerted on the crust by soaring sea levels encouraged a widespread seismic and volcanic rejoinder.

In many ways, this post-glacial world mirrors that projected to arise as a consequence of unmitigated climate change driven by human activities. Already there are signs that the effects of climbing global temperatures are causing the sleeping giant to stir once again. Could it be that we are on track to bequeath to our children and their children not only a far hotter world, but also a more geologically fractious one?

In this talk, Bill McGuire argues that climate change is once more setting the scene for the giant to reawaken, and we can already see the signs.

Suitable for

• 18+

When

7-8:30pm

Where

The Royal Institution

Admission

£10 standard, £7 concessions, £5 members

Website

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1227

Where does the driving force behind future innovations in business come from? Is it the technology as an enabler, or the imagination of an entrepreneur? The Royal Institution in partnership with specialist insurer Hiscox invites you to a one-off discussion to discover the driving forces behind 21st Century business.

Suitable for

• 18+

When

7-8:30pm

Where

The Royal Institution

Admission

£10 standard, £7 concessions, £5 members.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common of neurodegenerative diseases and, as populations age, is set to become a challenge to health services the world over. A century after Alzheimer first described the lesions - plaques and tangles - of this now eponymous disorder, we have come to understand in considerable detail the molecular processes that underlie the condition. Based on this understanding therapeutic possibilities are opening up and potential drugs and other treatments are being designed.

This promising science however, is tempered by the failure of the first few clinical trials of these agents. Although it is too soon to declare a crisis in the development of disease modification therapies, the field is worried. Part of this worry is that there is an uncomfortable truth that Alzheimer's has a long prodromal or preclinical phase of accumulation of pathology in the brain in the absence of any obviously apparent effects on the person. It might be that by the time the symptoms start, it's too late to do much. If this is true then we might need tests, or biomarkers, for this pathology. Here progress is being made with both neuroimaging and biochemistry. The final challenge then might be a financial one - science is, on time and as predicted, generating novel therapeutic agents and pre-clinical biomarkers.

But how will we pay for the trials that we might need to do; trials that might last five or even ten years and need to be performed in large numbers of people?

Simon Lovestone, Director of Research at King's Health Partners, will discuss.

Suitable for

• 18+

When

8-9:15pm

Where

The Royal Institution

Admission

£15

Website

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1226

What could be less controversial than intensive care medicine - a combination of high-tech biomedicine and old-fashioned nursing to improve the survival chances of our most acutely unwell patients? Join us as we discuss the surprisingly short, surprisingly contentious, history of this speciality, and explore the challenges for its future.

Suitable for

• 18+

When

7-8:30pm

Where

The Royal Institution

Admission

£10 standard, £7 concessions, £5 members.

Website

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1228

We humans left Africa less than a hundred thousand years ago, yet in this comparatively short time there has been a staggering explosion of cultures. What caused this blooming of diversity? Why, for example, are there so many mutually incomprehensible languages, even close together within small territories? Why do we wrap ourselves in flags, or define ourselves in opposition to others? In this talk, Mark Pagel will use the latest research in evolutionary biology to tell the story of how our success as a species has in fact depended on our facility for culture.

The existence of our amazingly diverse cultures throughout the planet has always been seen as a product of geography combined with our inherent traits of consciousness, empathy, language and our extraordinary intelligence. But Mark Pagel thinks we've had it the wrong way round. Many of these inherent traits cannot exist without culture. Indeed, a capacity for culture may be better viewed as an inherent trait in itself. Every human group wants to carve out its own identity. It is this that truly distinguishes us from our closest ancestors, and ensured we survived, while they declined and became extinct.

Mark will present a fascinating history of culture's role in natural selection, which will change how we view ourselves, not just as individuals, but as a species of communities.

Suitable for

• 18+

When

7-8:30pm

Where

The Royal Institution

Admission

£10 standard, £7 concessions, £5 members.

Website

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1229

Will consciousness ever be explained by neuroscientists? What is the latest philosophical and scientific thinking in explaining how the wet stuff in our heads creates the world we experience? A panel of experts will discuss.

Suitable for

• 18+

When

7-8:30pm

Where

The Royal Institution

Admission

£10 standard, £7 concessions, £5 members

Website

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1230

Recent debates on copy-checking of science-based articles in the media have exposed a gulf between what journalists do and what some scientists think journalists should do. How can these groups better-understand the work and intentions of the other? Does it matter?

Suitable for

• 18+

When

7-8:30pm

Where

The Royal Institution

Admission

£10 standard, £7 concessions and £5 members

Website

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1232

Join us for the Grand Final of FameLab UK, the nationwide hunt for individuals who can convincingly convey the wonder and relevance of science in just three minutes.

Across the country engaged and engaging scientists, engineers and mathematicians have been competing to make it to the FameLab UK Grand Final hosted by Quentin Cooper, presenter of BBC Radio 4's Material World. Each of the ten finalists will step onto the stage in our famous theatre; who will have the knowledge, the right words and the bright ideas to win over the judges and the audience and be crowned FameLab UK champion? They will also receive £1000 for themselves and up to £750 to spend on a science communication activity and go on to represent the UK against 20 other winners from around the world in the International FameLab finals on June 16th at Cheltenham Science Festival.

Suitable for

• 18+

When

7-8:30pm

Where

The Royal Institution

Admission

£10 standard, £7 concessions and £5 members

Website

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1234

Triathlon is one of the most high-tech sports in the world and this event is an opportunity to learn more about the research that lies behind Team GB’s elite performance. Professor Steve Haake, one of the UK’s top sports scientists will host an evening of debate and demonstrations featuring. Dr Tom Waller, Head of Speedo’s Aqualab who will discuss his work developing performance clothing for triathletes; Dr Steph Forrester, a sports scientist and triathlete for Team GB in Sydney 2000 who will explain how the right equipment, from shoes to bras, can enhance athletic performance and; Dr David James who will lead discussions on how far research and new technologies should be used in the quest to win gold.

Suitable for

• 18+

When

7-8:30pm

Where

The Carriageworks, The Electric Press, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 3AD

Admission

Free, but must be booked in advance

Website

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1250

Come to a live recording of the Guardian's Science Weekly Podcast. With special guests, demonstrations and lots of audience participation.

Suitable for

• 18+

When

7-8:30pm

Where

The Royal Institution

Admission

Free, but need to be booked in advance

Website

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1236

The brain has evolved to understand and interact with other people. We are increasingly learning more about the neurophysiological basis of social cognition and what is known as the social brain that is the network of brain regions involved in understanding others.

Sarah-Jayne Blakemore will explore how the social brain develops during adolescence. Adolescence is a time characterised by change - hormonally, physically, psychologically and socially. Yet until recently this period of life was neglected by neuroscience. In the past decade, research has shown that the brain develops both structurally and functionally during adolescence. Large scale structural MRI studies have demonstrated development during adolescence in white matter and grey matter volumes in regions within the social brain. Activity in some social brain regions, as measured using fMRI, also shows changes between adolescence and adulthood during social cognition tasks. Recent evidence from behavioural studies suggests that the ability to take another person's perspective is still developing late in adolescence. Finally, Sarah will speculate on potential implications of this research for society, in particular for education.

Suitable for

• 18+

When

7-8:30pm

Where

The Royal Institution

Admission

£15

Website

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1237

Why is our Earth so special? Does one planet really matter among the immensity of the cosmos? John Gribbin believes so, outlining for the first time the whole series of cosmic events that have given rise to our intelligent civilisation in his provocative new talk.

Arguing that we owe our existence to the impact of a ‘supercomet' with Venus 600 million years ago, he outlines the astronomical and geophysical reasons why the earth is so special, an earth that he believes is unique within our Milky Way Galaxy.

This provocative talk will explain the importance of planet Earth and our place in our cosmos, our unique position as an intellectual, technological civilisation, and how if humankind can survive the present environmental crisis, the whole of the galaxy might become our home. And if not, our demise may be an event of literally universal significance.

Suitable for

• 18+

When

7-8:30pm

Where

The Royal Institution

Admission

£10 standard, £7 concessions and £5 members.

Website

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1238

Jonathan Haidt, the highly influential psychologist, is here to show us why we all find it so hard to get along. By examining where morality comes from, and why it is the defining characteristic of humans, Haidt will show why we cannot dismiss the views of others as mere stupidity or moral corruption. Our moral roots run much deeper than we realize. We are hardwired not just to be moral, but moralistic and self-righteous. From advertising to politics, morality influences all aspects of behaviour. It is the key to understanding everybody. It explains why some of us are liberals, others conservatives. It is often the difference between war and peace. It is also why we are the only species that will kill for an ideal.

Haidt argues we are always talking past each other because we are appealing to different moralities: it is not just about justice and fairness - for some people authority, sanctity or loyalty are more important. With new evidence from his own empirical research, Haidt will show it is possible to liberate us from the disputes that divide good people. We can either stick to comforting delusions about others, or learn some moral psychology. His hope is that ultimately we can cooperate with those whose morals differ from our own.

Suitable for

• 18+

When

7-8:30pm

Where

The Royal Institution

Admission

£10 standard, £7 concessions, £5 members

Website

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1239

Every day we come into contact with millions of microbes and minibeasts. At this fascinating day of family fun you will learn about how we actually depend on this microscopic world and see some of its inhabitants up close.

Suitable for

• 7-10
• 11-13
• 14-15

When

11am-4pm

Where

The Royal Institution

Admission

£10 adults and £5 under 18s

Modern athletics draws on a huge variety of cutting-edge research to push the boundaries of achievement. In the dramatic setting of Sheffield’s EIS Team GB legend Roger Black will be joined by Professor Chris Cooper an expert in the physiology of top athletes and Dr Rob Harle, a lead researcher in the development of innovative video and body sensor technologies to aid the training of both novice and elite athletes. Professor Steve Haake, one of the UK’s top sports scientists, will host this interactive and thought-provoking evening, featuring live athletics demonstrations and Dr David James will lead discussions on how far research and new technologies should be used in the quest to win gold.

Suitable for

• 18+

When

7-8:30pm

Where

English Institute of Sport Sheffield, Coleridge Road, Sheffield, S9 5DA

Admission

Free, but must be booked in advance.

Website

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1251

Last year marked the 250th anniversary of the death of the Reverend Thomas Bayes, a non-conformist clergyman of Tunbridge Wells. When he died in 1761 he left behind two revolutionary ideas: how uncertainty about current or future states of the world can be expressed as a probability distribution, and a mechanism - Bayes theorem - to revise our probabilities in the light of experience. This naturally leads to the view that our probabilities are constructed on the basis of our knowledge and judgment, and they express a relationship between ourselves and the world rather than being a property of the world itself. Indeed, it may be reasonable to claim that, in everyday life, probability does not exist.

David will talk about some selected modern applications of these concepts, such as catching doping athletes, predicting volcanic eruptions, judging the impact of new technologies, and of course gambling. I will also test whether members of the audience know the extent of their ignorance.

Suitable for

• 18+

When

8-9:15pm

Where

The Royal Institution

Admission

£15

Website

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1242