In the second episode of this miniseries, we’re exploring how AI is impacting different areas of scientific research, and in this episode we discuss the applications of AI in healthcare. Lisa Derry is joined by Dr James Kinross, a colorectal surgeon and medical researcher at Imperial College London, to discuss everything from the impact of AI on medical publishing to robotic surgery.Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!Please leave this episode a rating and ..read more

Following on from his Discourse, Yang-Hui He is joined by LIMS science writer Madeleine Hall to discuss the past, present and future of Geometry. From Euclid’s postulates to how flower petals are arranged, explore how our modern understanding of geometry has come to be. LIMS is based here at the Ri, and you can find out more about their research by following the link below.     New Ri Science Podcast episodes will be released on the last Wednesday of every month, so make sure to tune in for the next episode at the end of March!    Please leave this episode a rating and ..read more

We’re exploring how AI is impacting different areas of scientific research, and in this episode we discuss AlphaFold, the machine learning programme from DeepMind that can determine a protein structure from its amino acids alone. Lisa Derry is joined by Dame Janet Thornton, an oracle of bioinformatics and former Director of the European Bioinformatics Institute, to discuss how AlphaFold has revolutionised its field, and what it could do in the future. Thank you to our Christmas Lectures supporters and our title partner, CGI. Please leave this episode a rating and a review to let us know what y ..read more

How can we improve the use of renewable energy in the power grid? In the final episode of the series 'Tales from my PhD', Charlotte Collingwood talks to Karan Mukhi about his work in computer science, creating algorithms to improve the efficiency of the national grid. Follow Charlotte on Twitter: @NeuroCharlotte Please leave this episode a rating and a review to let us know what you think. Get tickets for upcoming talks and livestreams: rigb.org/whats-on Watch videos on YouTube: youtube.com/TheRoyalInstitution Follow us on social media: @Ri_Science Produced by: Charlotte Collingwood Music by ..read more

How do you fight a fungus? In this episode of ‘Tales from my PhD’, Charlotte Collingwood talks to Camilla Molinari about her work in plant pathology, studying the mechanisms and genetics of the rice blast fungus in order to limit its impact on food crops. Follow Camilla on Twitter: ⁠@CamilaMolinari3 Follow Charlotte on Twitter: ⁠@NeuroCharlotte⁠ Please leave this episode a rating and a review to let us know what you think. Get tickets for upcoming talks and livestreams: ⁠rigb.org/whats-on⁠ Watch videos on YouTube: ⁠youtube.com/TheRoyalInstitution⁠ Follow us on social media: @Ri_Science Pro ..read more

How can maths and computational models help us treat anxiety and depression? In this episode of 'Tales from my PhD', Charlotte Collingwood talks to Sophie Shang about her research in the field of computational psychiatry. A hallmark symptom of anxiety and depression is an intolerance of uncertainty. Sophie's work involves designing studies to test people's response to changes in their environment, analysing the data mathematically and then coding computational models in order to reveal patterns in human behaviour and mental health that are otherwise invisible. Follow Sophie on Twitter: @Sophi ..read more

How can we detect massive objects in space when we can't see them by light? On 14 September 2015, scientists opened a new window to observing the Universe when, for the first time, they directly detected gravitational waves, rippled out through spacetime from the merger of two black holes.  In this episode, astronomer Tessa Baker explores how Einstein’s theory of gravity predicted the existence of gravitational waves, how delicate experiments eventually confirmed their existence, and how we can translate this experimental data into sounds, allowing us to hear the Universe. This talk was r ..read more

Astrophysicists grapple with the Universe's big questions, but what does their day-to-day research actually entail? In the first of our new mini-series, 'Tales from my PhD', Charlotte Collingwood sits down with Rohan Varadaraj to discuss his work discovering new galaxies billions of light years away. Please leave this episode a rating and a review to let us know what you think. Get tickets for upcoming talks and livestreams: ⁠⁠⁠rigb.org/whats-on⁠⁠ Watch videos on YouTube: youtube.com/TheRoyalInstitution⁠⁠ Follow us on social media: twitter.com/Ri_Science⁠⁠ Produced by: Charlotte Collingwood ..read more

How did societies develop across the globe and how did gender become so enmeshed in them? In this episode we join award-winning science journalist, Angela Saini, in conversation with former Australian prime-minister, Julia Gillard, as they go in search of the roots of gendered oppression. By looking at cultures throughout human history and in the modern day, they overturn simplistic universal theories to show that what patriarchy is and how far back it goes really depends on where you live. Get Angela Saini's book: The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule This talk was recorded from our thea ..read more

Did you know that there is no widely agreed upon definition of what emotions actually are? After losing his dad to Covid-19 in the early days of the pandemic lockdown, neuroscientist Dean Burnett found himself wondering what life would be like without emotions. In today’s episode, Dean combines his personal story with expert analysis, humour and powerful insights into the grieving process, to uncover how emotions make us who we are. Get Dean's book: 'Emotional Ignorance: Lost and Found in the Science of Emotion' Subscribe to Dean's podcast: 'Why does this thing exist?' Follow Dean on Twitter ..read more