The Series
This year’s Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on BBC Four explore the world of communication, revealing how we and other animals use a whole host of means to send messages and exchange information. From mosquitoes singing love duets, to the dazzling light displays of deep sea fish and the complexities of human language - Professor Sophie Scott explores the unstoppable urge to communicate.
Delivered from the Royal Institution lecture theatre in London, Professor Scott addresses three big questions in communication: how do we and animals send messages with sound? How much can we communicate without ever speaking a word? And how do we turn our thoughts into language?
To do this, Professor Scott performs dramatic demonstrations, harnesses cutting-edge technology and enlists the help of special guests ranging from hissing insects to the latest robots.
Photography by Paul Wilkinson Photography