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    Find the building blocks of nature within a single, humble snowflake

    In this brief yet expansive science lesson, the UK physicist and science educator Brian Cox explores how ‘each snowflake is a microcosm of the laws of physics’. Narrating over charming paper cut-out animation, Cox details a snowflake’s journey from its birth in the clouds to its final melting place, as well as how Johannes Kepler’s theory about their hexagonal shape would take some four centuries to be proved correct. Connecting the structure of these small ice crystals to that of spiral galaxies, this riveting dive into the natural laws that govern all things great and small will almost surely make you see the humble snowflake anew.

    Video by The Royal Society

    10 January 2024
    Abstract depiction of two galaxies, one on the left with spiral arms and bright centre, and one on the right with swirling patterns and luminous core.

    videoPhysics

    There’s a striking link between quantum and astronomic scales. What could it mean?

    5 minutes

    3D digital graphic of geometric shapes—cube, spheres and orbits—in space with a starry background.

    videoHistory of science

    Ideas ‘of pure genius’ – how astronomers have measured the Universe across history

    29 minutes

    Illustration of two turquoise beams pointing from the Milky Way galaxy toward another galaxy on a black background.

    videoHistory of science

    How we came to know the size of the Universe – and what mysteries remain

    26 minutes

    Split image with mathematical equations on left, diagram of a spinning top in centre and photo of a colourful spinning top on right.

    videoMathematics

    Snowflake formulas, dice odds and other satisfying maths of the everyday

    2 minutes

    Abstract black-and-white image featuring a spherical shape at the centre surrounded by an intricate web of swirling, crisscrossing lines, creating a three-dimensional effect. The background is dark, enhancing the contrast and emphasising the white lines and central sphere.

    videoPhysics

    Imagining spacetime as a visible grid is an extraordinary journey into the unseen

    12 minutes

    Drawing with a light bulb, four stick figures walking, coloured arrows, and stick figures with a prohibition sign.

    videoQuantum theory

    The physics revolution that started with the flicker of a lightbulb

    4 minutes

    Two animated identical characters pointing at each other, one standing next to a table with sets of keys.

    videoQuantum theory

    Why aren’t our everyday lives as ‘spooky’ as the quantum world?

    7 minutes

    Illustration of Earth, an astronaut and space with labels “Our Photon” and “Proto Life”. The background is a starry sky.

    videoAstronomy

    Take a 10 billion-year journey with a photon, from a distant supernova to Earth

    3 minutes

    A collage of various objects, animals, and clothes surrounding a large brain illustration on a black background.

    videoLogic and probability

    Is it more likely you’re a person with a past, or an ephemeral brain in a void?

    6 minutes