Christmas Science Lectures

Using physics, chemistry and biology, the fascination with light capture in nature will be explained in a multi-coloured and animated well – prepare for six-eyed spiders, purple carrots and red salt. One of the most complex organs in higher life forms is the eye – even Charles Darwin commented that evolution of the eye by natural selection at first glance seemed "absurd in the highest possible degree”. Many living things on earth, from the most simple of single cell organisms to humans, respond to light using a chemical compound that appeared around 400 million years ago – the compound is called retinal. Biology has evolved and exploited this compound using some of the most fundamental principles of physics in ways that are so incredible, that the topic still fascinate scientists today. For more information about the lecturer's work please go to: http://www.bioch.ox.ac.uk/aspsite/index.asp?pageid=603 Our eyes can detect huge ranges of light, at a resolution and precision that far escapes any known man-made device. Even simple organisms that use retinal produce electrical energy from the sun at efficiencies that far exceed any solar cell. And to add to these amazing observations, light detection in nature occurs faster than in any man-made device.

Malcolm Stewart and Dr Fabrice Birembaut are back again with their highly entertaining flash bang lecture! Let Santa and his elf take you on a discovery journey from cold to hot chemistry!

Social media, everyone uses it, whether it is to connect with long lost friends on Facebook, or to share selfies on Instagram or Twitter! In this talk, I consider the positives & negatives, security & privacy and how it can be used supportively.

Radiotherapy has been going on since 1896, only months after the discovery of X-rays.  We will explore what it is, how it works, and examine the change from X-ray beams to particle guns.

Have you ever wondered why identical twins aren’t, well, actually identical? Do you want to blame your parents for something about you that is different from everyone else in the family? Then you need to find out about Epigenetics. In this lecture, we will explore why identical twins are not identical despite sharing the same set of genes. Epigenetics tells the cell whether genes can be switched on or off and this varies even in identical twins. The environment, things like food and toxins, influences epigenetics. So what your parents ate and what they did at your conception and while you were growing in the uterus plays a big part in what you are now. In the same way, the sort of food you eat now, where you live and the amount of stress you face also influences your epigenetics. As the saying goes “you are what you eat”. In this lecture you can find out why.

Can machines think? How can we test computers for intelligence? Edward Grefenstette delivers a lively presentation about artificial intelligence.

Dr Richard Earl of the Mathematical Institute, Oxford presents a talk about prime numbers. What they are and their role in internet security.

Join Dr Malcolm Stewart and Dr Fabrice Birembaut to find out just how much fun chemistry can be. Young, or not so young, you'll be entertained and educated by the sort of chemistry you never get to see at school: baffling, tantalising and LOUD!

Professor David Pyle (Department of Earth Science) presents an illustrated tour of some of the world's most active and dangerous volcanoes, and an exploration of what we have learnt about how volcanoes work.

Get up close and personal with the exciting world of particle and accelerator physics. Learn how particle accelerators can do everything from recreating conditions just after the Big Bang to finding new ways to treat cancer.