UCL awarded its 2008 Honorary Degrees at a ceremony on 8 September 2008. UCL’s 2008 Honorary Graduands are Mr Maarti Ahtsaari, Professor Henry Baltes, Mr Michael Brady, Professor Sir Martin Evans, Professor Peter Haggett, Ms Luce Irigaray and Mr Ian McEwan.

How old is the universe? Is there an eternal creator? The human mind has always faced the deep mysteries of existence, from primitive myths and religious beliefs to the discoveries of modern science. The universe appears to be evolving from a distant primordial event. The broad perspective of a...

The ‘species concept’ – the definition of what constitutes a distinct species – has been a headache for biologists for at least 70 years. Recent genetic studies in natural populations have led to a revolution in the understanding of biodiversity and speciation. Species are demonstrably continuous...

Predicting where burglaries are most likely to take place is harder than you might think, even for police officers. This lecture looks at how work at the UCL Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science has shown that crime tends to follow the same patterns in time and space as communicable diseases,...

Nanotechnology has already changed our lives, and promises to have even more profound effects in the future. This lecture will review the successes of the recent past, and describe how work at the London Centre for Nanotechnology, a joint venture between Imperial College London and UCL, is laying...

Nanotechnology has already changed our lives, and promises to have even more profound effects in the future. This lecture will review the successes of the recent past, and describe how work at the London Centre for Nanotechnology, a joint venture between Imperial College London and UCL, is laying...

UCL geographers, working with a London community action charity, have provided residents’ groups with technology and expertise to enable noise-mapping activities across the capital.

UCL geographers, working with a London community action charity, have provided residents’ groups with technology and expertise to enable noise-mapping activities across the capital.

Imagine not recognising your mother when she walks past you – not because you can’t see her, but because you can’t distinguish her face from the thousands that you come across every day. This lecture is a glimpse into the fascinating world of prosopagnosia, or ‘face blindness’, and the challenges...

The sound of a jelly wobbling has been recorded for the first time ever in a soundproof chamber at UCL. The recording is being turned into a soundtrack for an architectural jelly banquet to be hosted at UCL at 8pm on 4 July 2008. The event, run by Bompas and Parr as part of the London Festival...

A new approach to medical imaging uses light to generate images both of newborn babies’ brains and of breast cancer. Blood absorbs light strongly and its colour depends on how much oxygen it is carrying, so imaging using light provides a direct measurement of both the volume of blood and its...

A new approach to medical imaging uses light to generate images both of newborn babies’ brains and of breast cancer. Blood absorbs light strongly and its colour depends on how much oxygen it is carrying, so imaging using light provides a direct measurement of both the volume of blood and its...