Talks

Dr Karl will discuss the science of why people talk more loudly when they are drunk, how shouting at ...

Geneticist Giles Yeo in conversation with chef Heston Blumenthal.

The story of how we made the natural world our own

Live video link with the International Space Station

Will creativity be next for artificial intelligence?

Space agencies around the world are aiming to land astronauts on the Moon in the coming decades. But a big question remains – how do you design a spacesuit for the Moon? 

Forget predicting the weather on Earth – modelling climate on distant planets could be key to discovering alien life.

Telescopes are the closest things we have to time machines, letting us study billions of years of cosmic evolution.

What we know makes up 5% of the universe – what is the other 95% made of?

Two of the great mysteries of theoretical physics could be connected, revealing something new about our universe.

If you thought human courtship was strange, wait until you see what goes on in the animal kingdom.

Vital information about our planet’s early days is trapped in the rocks beneath our feet. How deep do we have to dig to tease it out?

The science behind the origins of life might have more to do with quantum theory than biology.

There is little to love about wasps: they sting unprovoked and they don’t do anything ‘useful’. They are the gangsters of the insect world.

We’re bad at predicting which activities will have the biggest impact on the climate. Can we get better before it’s too late?

We all want to live longer, healthier lives. We all want a better health system. Who can disagree with that?

Fighting Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders is a slow and frustrating task, but one that has the potential to improve millions of lives.

We’re starting to learn just what it is that separates us from the animals.

Is obesity genetic, or something we can control? The answer might lie somewhere in between.

Cures for everything from rare diseases to cancer could be in your genes.

How can we bring the world closer together?

Mobile technology has already transformed our world. What comes next?

Humans aren’t the only ones who enjoy a good game. Robots are starting to benefit from them too.

In the digital age, you can run but you can’t hide.

Moving things with our mind is no longer an impossibility.

Robotic growth has been meteoric, but why are we still so far behind nature?

Cutting edge technology for British athletes.

Could we build a public transportation system capable of moving people at the speed of a private jet? 

Human-machine interfaces give us new tools to recover and expand human capabilities.

The mega-engineering project taking place beneath your feet.

Envisioning the technology of the future has long been a popular past time for humankind. The only problem is, we get our predictions wrong most of the time. 

Driven by an insatiable curiosity about movement and its creative potentials, Wayne McGregor explores the science and creativity of dance.

Celebrating contribution and success of women in science.

Richard Wiseman is on a mission to put the world to sleep.

How do we know how everything began? Sean Carroll explores what's next in cosmology.

A small step for man, a large headache for lawyers.

Join Carole Mundell on a whirlwind tour of black holes.

The real mystery isn’t why antimatter exists – it’s why there’s so little of it?

There are hundreds of billions of planets in our galaxy alone. What makes Earth so special?

Quantum theory is famously mind-boggling. But do its paradoxes mean we haven’t yet understood it?

Meet the fish living 8,000 metres beneath sea level, on the depths of the ocean floor.

Brenna Hassett is a bioarchaeologist; she digs up dead people to find the answers to our most pressing questions about what it means to be human.

By 2050, 9 billion people will have to share the planet’s limited resources. Will we manage?

Smart, sociable, and often unappreciated, the honey bee may be the world’s most extraordinary animal.

Nick Lane describes the most important event in our planet’s history: the origin of life.

Mitochondrial donation is a new technique that has captured the public imagination. But what does it really entail?

Look after your stomach bugs – they could be the key to keeping you healthy

In twenty years, genome sequencing has gone from a fantasy to a routine medical tool. What do the next twenty years have in store?

Think you have control of your memories? Think again.

The mysteries of consciousness have fascinated us for centuries. Could science provide us with answers?

With cyber-crime rising year-on-year it’s more important than ever to know that your data is safe; and a vital part of providing a secure digital world is staying a step ahead of cyber threats.

From the ultimate computer to sensors that can see through walls, quantum technologies have the potential to radically change our lives.

How much can we do before the death of the universe?

Spot the tricks people play with numbers to avoid being fooled by dodgy statistics.

As robots acquire ever more autonomy, we need to decide how much control we want them to take.

The electromagnetic spectrum is vitally important to us in today’s society. But what is its future?

The bestselling author of What If? and Creator of XKCD comics returns to New Scientist Live.

Why a space elevator could be a stairway to heaven for those looking to exploit the moon?

The city of Leeds is on a mission to make its public buildings self-repairing. Will your home be far behind?

As biotechnology becomes cheaper and easier to access, there is great potential for experimenting and innovation.

Join New Scientist’s editor-in-chief as he explores how to put the humanity back into technology.

In an increasingly dystopian world, what can the power of imagination do to help?

Michele Dougherty and Chris Lintott in conversation: what's next after Cassini?

What happens to consciousness in the twilight worlds that lie between awareness, sleep, coma and death?

An explosion of science, comedy, music and general wonder.

Planning a space mission to the sun isn’t as crazy as it sounds.

We’re on the cusp of a revolution in the way we study the stars – can it unlock the mysteries of dark matter?

Even if we aren’t alone in the universe, why should alien life look anything like us?

They’re some of the most enigmatic objects in the universe. But if we can’t see black holes directly, how can we study them?

The Cassini mission to Saturn is finishing this year. What can it teach us about the iconic ringed planet and its moons?

What controls which species go extinct and which survive? 

They fight off cancer, undergo puberty in days, and live in highly complex societies with surprising similarities to Game of Thrones. Enter the incredible world of the naked mole-rat.

The world’s icebound continent wasn’t always white and deserted – and once even sustained forests.

The secrets surrounding human origins are gradually being revealed.

When is it too late to save a species?

Meditation is more popular than ever – but is it actually doing you any good?

Are we culturally programmed to misunderstand genetics? 

We will never win the war against antimicrobial resistance, but we may win several battles.

How far would you go to keep your children safe from genetic disease?

We may be less murderous than our ancestors, but violence in human societies is always lurking just beneath the surface.

How do we use a combination of social science, technology, and big data to unravel the challenges of an increasingly virtualised and globalised future workforce? 

No archive is perfect. Could DNA allow us to store information for hundreds of thousands of years?

Be inspired by the beauty and complexity of cells, and find out how to get involved by becoming a citizen scientist.

With so much of our lives exposed online, how can we keep ourselves safe?

You’d be surprised at what insects, with their tiny brains, can teach us about building robots.

Matt Parker is a self-diagnosed Number Ninja.

Climb aboard the Mary Rose, a 16th century time capsule docked in Portsmouth providing a unique insight into the science of Tudor life.

From the murmuration of starlings to the collaboration displayed by ant colonies, swarm behaviour is extraordinary - but fiendishly tricky to model.

Discover how we’re recreating the Sun on Earth, and why it could forever change the way we get energy.

Now that we can read the language of DNA, what’s to stop us writing new organisms into existence?