Can we trust stories about the future? Join historian and bestselling author David Christian as he offers an introduction to the strange world of the future.
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This lecture was recorded at the Ri on 20 November 2023.
Every second of our lives - whether we're looking both ways before crossing the street, celebrating the birth of a baby, or moving to a new city - we must cope with an unknowable future by telling stories about what will happen next.
What we think we know about it at all scales, from the predictive mechanisms of single-celled organisms and tomato plants to the merging of colossal galaxies billions of years from now. Drawing together science, history and philosophy from a huge range of places and times, David will explore how we prepare for uncertain futures, including the future of human evolution, artificial intelligence, interstellar travel, and more.
For all those curious about what the world could look like in the next hundred years and what the solutions to the biggest challenges facing us all could look like, this is an unmissable event.
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David Christian is a Professor Emeritus at Macquarie University, where he was formerly a Distinguished Professor of History and the director of the Big History Institute. He cofounded the Big History Project with Bill Gates, his Coursera MOOCs are popular around the world, and he is cocreator of the Macquarie University Big History School.
He has delivered keynotes at conferences around the world, including the Davos World Economic Forum, and his TED Talk has been viewed more than twelve million times. He is the author of numerous books and articles, as well as the New York Times bestseller Origin Story.
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,Ri,Royal Institution,royal institute,WfCItXZ7dFo,UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw, Knowledge, channel_UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw, video_WfCItXZ7dFo,2025 is the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, as marked by the UN, to celebrate 100 years since the birth of quantum mechanics. But quantum science is one of the least diverse areas of science in terms of gender and other protected characteristics.
Jess Wade, a physicist and lecturer in functional materials at Imperial College London, has been fighting the inequality in quantum physics and beyond by creating thousands of Wikipedia pages for women scientists. Jess joins us this month to discuss the past, present, and future of quantum science along with what can be done to increase diversity within the field.
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 episodes are released!
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Jess Wade is a British physicist in the Blackett Laboratory at Imperial College London, specialising in Raman spectroscopy. Her research investigates polymer-based organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). Her public engagement work in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) advocates for women in physics as well as tackling systemic biases such as gender and racial bias on Wikipedia. Read more about here here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jess_Wade
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Producer: Lia Hale
Assistant producers: Katie Mortimer, Isla Nakano
Interviewer: Lia Hale
Music: Joseph Sandy
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,Ri,Royal Institution,royal institute,MdOCu2Gr-0g,UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw, Knowledge, channel_UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw, video_MdOCu2Gr-0g,Join this channel to get access to perks:
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,Ri,Royal Institution,royal institute,PLc0BCjbFcg,UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw, Knowledge,Religion, channel_UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw, video_PLc0BCjbFcg,In the first of his CHRISTMAS LECTURES, Richard Dawkins explores the origins of life. Beginning with a look at our ancestry, he shows how the probability of our existence is very small.
Watch all the lectures in this series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZwJw3_jDeusmHuVYDdKRpo9
Watch our newest Christmas lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbnrZHfNEDZyQJZLPMjwEoOLdkFBLU2m1
This lecture was filmed at the Ri on 1 December 1991.
These lectures were originally a YouTube member exclusive for our Science Supporters, and now we’re putting them out for everyone to watch. If you can’t wait for them all to be published, get access now by signing up as a YouTube channel member, and help us bring science to more people: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join
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Life grows up in the universe by gradual degrees of evolution. Billions of years ago, there existed a vast population of bacteria. But it was only an elite group of these bacteria that evolved to become humans. In truth, we are lucky to be alive.
In the first of his CHRISTMAS LECTURES, Richard Dawkins explores the origins of life. Beginning with a look at our ancestry, he shows how the probability of our existence is very small. Becoming an ancestor is much more difficult than simple reproduction, and Richard reveals how our ancestors did what it took to survive and pass on their genes.
But although some of our life must be devoted to perpetuating it, surely there must be more to it? Richard explores the role of art and culture in society, and examines how the capabilities of the human body have enabled us to accomplish complex tasks.
When it comes to our understanding of the meaning of life, science is important. As Richard explains, science can help us uncover both when we arrived on this planet, and why we are here. Some people turn to the supernatural for the answer to such questions. Richard looks at the limitations of beliefs in the supernatural and uses a cannonball to prove why instead we should have faith in science and its predictions.
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About the 1991 CHRISTMAS LECTURES
The world-famous evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins presents the CHRISTMAS LECTURES on "our own growing knowledge of how life grows up in the universe."
Just as children grow up to be adults, so too does life gradually evolve on a planet over thousands of generations, to move from “nonliving simplicity” to become “living complexity”.
Combining beautiful writing with a range of illuminating demonstrations, the series featured a variety of wildlife, a virtual reality Lecture Theatre, and special guests – including the late Douglas Adams reading an excerpt from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Find out more about the Ri CHRISTMAS LECTURES here: https://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures
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,Ri,Royal Institution,royal institute,sO5adbV_mu8,UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw, Knowledge, channel_UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw, video_sO5adbV_mu8,Watch the Q&A for Sean Carroll's lecture on Einstein's equation explaining spacetime. You can watch the original lecture here: https://youtu.be/BRudidBcfXk
The original lecture and this Q&A were recorded at the Ri on Monday 14 August 2023.
Our lecture Q&As are usually a perk for our YouTube Science Supporters, as a thank you for helping us bring science to more people, but we're publishing this one for everyone as Sean's talk has been so popular.
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,1,Join this channel to get access to perks:
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Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe
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Product links on this page may be affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link.
,1,Can we trust stories about the future? Join historian and bestselling author David Christian as he offers an introduction to the strange world of the future.
Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join
Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe
This lecture was recorded at the Ri on 20 November 2023.
Every second of our lives - whether we're looking both ways before crossing the street, celebrating the birth of a baby, or moving to a new city - we must cope with an unknowable future by telling stories about what will happen next.
What we think we know about it at all scales, from the predictive mechanisms of single-celled organisms and tomato plants to the merging of colossal galaxies billions of years from now. Drawing together science, history and philosophy from a huge range of places and times, David will explore how we prepare for uncertain futures, including the future of human evolution, artificial intelligence, interstellar travel, and more.
For all those curious about what the world could look like in the next hundred years and what the solutions to the biggest challenges facing us all could look like, this is an unmissable event.
---
David Christian is a Professor Emeritus at Macquarie University, where he was formerly a Distinguished Professor of History and the director of the Big History Institute. He cofounded the Big History Project with Bill Gates, his Coursera MOOCs are popular around the world, and he is cocreator of the Macquarie University Big History School.
He has delivered keynotes at conferences around the world, including the Davos World Economic Forum, and his TED Talk has been viewed more than twelve million times. He is the author of numerous books and articles, as well as the New York Times bestseller Origin Story.
---
The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science
and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution
and TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ri_science
Listen to the Ri podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ri-science-podcast
Donate to the RI and help us bring you more lectures: https://www.rigb.org/support-us/donate-ri
Our editorial policy: https://www.rigb.org/editing-ri-talks-and-moderating-comments
Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter
Product links on this page may be affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link.
