Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institution

🤖Join us at BRLSI on Saturday for Brilliantly Engineered 2026!

A free, fun festival for anyone interested in how things work.

📅 Open to all on Sat 28 Feb & Sun 1 March.
No ticket required – just come along!
www.brlsi.org/whatson/be20...
#brilliantlyengineered2026 #stem #engineering #creativity

🔬Microscopes play a vital role in disease diagnosis, so how can they be made more accessible for at-risk areas? 🦠

🔗 lhttps://www.brlsi.org/whatso...

Vietnam on the Big Screen with organiser of the BRLSI Military History programme, Joe Houlihan. – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution

Award-winning journalist and BRLSI Military History organiser Joe Houlihan explores how films like Apocalypse Now, Platoon and Full Metal Jacket reshaped Hollywood and America’s view of Vietnam in his new book, Vietnam on the Big Screen.
www.brlsi.org/vietnam-on-t...

What is evolutionary psychology? – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Darwin’s theory of evolution transformed biology. It is now considered the foundation of all life sciences. However, its application to psychology has not been so universally accepted. This talk will explore why and consider whether psychology should be treated as a branch of the life sciences. Dr Ed Morrison, Senior Lecturer Portsmouth University

🧠 💌Could evolution explain your love life?

Join Dr Ed Morrison, Senior Lecturer at @portsmouthuni, as he explores how Darwin’s theory applies to human behavior.

🗓 Tue 3 March
🕢 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm GMT
www.brlsi.org/whatso...

#evolutionarypsychology #darwin #psychology

🤔 Ever wondered how the world’s quirkiest knight came to life?

📖 Join Jonathan Thacker, as he uncovers the challenges Cervantes faced while creating Spain’s most celebrated (& occasionally confused) hero, Don Quijote de la Mancha. Mon 2 March

www.brlsi.org/whatso...

📜 Fake news in 1655? Oliver Cromwell sent a fleet to the Americas. London pamphlets claimed victories that never happened...
🗓 23 Feb
🔗https://www.brlsi.org/whatson/fake-news-1655-fantasies-of-british-military-conquests-in-the-americas/

#history #olivercromwell #17thcentury #carlaardinapestana

🐞 Last few days to visit – we’re open this Saturday! 🐝

Entographica: Insect-inspired Art from The Entographic Collective
Open Mon-Sat 10am-4pm
Last day: Wed 25 February
🎟 Free entry

Delicate fabric flies, etched moths and other striking artworks celebrating the beauty and importance of insects.

Science in the Global Renaissance – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Modern science is typically understood as a product of the European Renaissance, but this view is far too narrow. Other cultures across the world - from Ming China to Ottoman Egypt - also experienced ...

🌍✨ Science in the Global Renaissance ✨🌍
with Dr James Poskett

📅 Thu 19 February
In person or watch online tickets available

www.brlsi.org/whatson/scie...

Was the Renaissance and the birth of modern science really just a European story?

#Renaissance #HistoryOfScience #GlobalHistory #BRLSI

Serious Play: The Academies of Renaissance Italy – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Was theatre in the Renaissance academy just a form of learned fun, or were more serious issues at stake?

🎭✨ Serious Play: The Academies of Renaissance Italy
with Lisa Sampson

This Evening – In Person or Online!

This talk examines how Italian academies used theatre and performance to shape social and political identity during the rise of commedia dell’arte

www.brlsi.org/whatson/seri...

🤖 Brilliantly Engineered 2026 opens Sat 28 Feb!

A free, hands-on festival for curious minds of all ages.
www.brlsi.org/whatso...
Plus: Share and Repair Bath’s Little Fixers workshop-explore how everyday items work & learn simple fixing skills.

Free to drop in
Sat 28 Feb & Sun 1 March.

Nearly four years on, is lasting peace in Ukraine possible?

Join Professors Rajan Menon and Paul D’Anieri (live from the United States) in conversation with Andreas Wasmuht, for a discussion on the ongoing war in Ukraine and the prospects for its resolution.

www.brlsi.org/whatso...

NeverEnding Stories – free children’s activities – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Half term BRLSI February 2026

Neverending Stories starts today at 10am!
Half term Fun with Academy of Imagination at BRLSI 📚✨
Build mythical LEGO kingdoms, create stories, play word games, or find a cosy reading corner📖
www.brlsi.org/.../neverend...

💌 Our annual Valentine’s highlight: a heart-shaped #Micraster, a Cretaceous sea urchin from England. 🏛️Collected by William Lonsdale, in the 1820s, it reveals ancient seas 🌊 and echinoid evolution.

#fossils #valentine #love #brlsi #bath

What’s coming up in Feb–Mar 2026? Embroidery, microscopy, Renaissance maps, fake news in 1655, live German Lieder with Maria Danishvar & Nicholas Stuart, and ...Brilliantly Engineered 2026 - a free, hands-on #STEM festival for all ages. www.brlsi.org/whats-on/

So delighted to share such an enjoyable morning and lunch with #BRLSI members at the @rwabristol today and thanks to @ioneparkin for being such a great tour guide to #COSMOSTheArtofObservingSpace

🎶 The radical voice who inspired Dylan and Springsteen.

Join Dr Dave Merrick to explore the life and legacy of Woody Guthrie, with stories, rare recordings and live music from Clive Mills. 🎸

📅 Friday 13 February 2026, 7.30pm
Watch in person or online
www.brlsi.org/whatson/this...

📜Tonight! Helena Sanson, (Professor of #Italian, #History of #Linguistics and #Womensstudies at #UniversityofCambridge, will tell the stories of women and writing in early modern Italy. In person or online tickets available🌟
www.brlsi.org/whatso...

🔧✨ CURIOUS MINDS WANTED ✨🔧

👀 Exhibits, demos & interactive fun from:
#JamesDysonFoundation
@bathcollege.bsky.social @uniofbath.bsky.social
#Share&RepairBath #BMT & more.

📍 BRLSI
🗓 Sat 28 Feb & Sun 1 March 10am–4pm
🎟 No ticket needed just turn up!

#BrilliantlyEngineered #STEM

Giant wasp sculptures in a museum display.

Insects exhibition.

Arty insects in a display case.

Entographica exhibition poster in an a- board. Outside.

I love the giant wasps @brlsi.bsky.social 🐝🐝 Great exhibition.

Nearly four years on, is lasting peace in Ukraine possible?

Join Professors Rajan Menon and Paul D’Anieri (live from the United States) in conversation with Andreas Wasmuht, for a discussion on the ongoing war in Ukraine and the prospects for its resolution.

www.brlsi.org/whatso...

Close to #Einstein and the #Curies, Paul #Langevin’s life spanned the twentieth century physics revolution: relativity; radioactivity; quantum mechanics. Discover more this evening with Professor Francis Duck
www.brlsi.org/whatso...

This Land Is Your Land – The Woody Guthrie Story – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Woody Guthrie was a vocal participant in the often-violent struggles of organised labour in 1930's USA, and his songs of protest and social comment were among the first to reach a national audience. In This Land Is Your Land you will hear about the life and times of the man who inspired Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Bragg and many others. Dave Merrick will bring the songs alive again with slides and recordings, and also in live performance with guitarist Clive Mills. Dr Dave Merrick is an experienced performer and researcher of folk, blues, jazz and world music.  He plays guitar and Native American Flute. His spoken word, music and multi media events have been performed on numerous occasions in the South West and beyond. Clive Mills is a long-standing professional classical, folk and blues guitar performer and teacher. He has served as an examiner for Trinity/Rock School.  Clive and Dave have performed together for many years.

🎶Who was the man whose radical legacy inspired the likes of Dylan and Springsteen?

✨Join us with Dr Dave Merrick and guitaritst Clive Mills next Friday to hear about the life and times of Woody Guthrie, and live performance of his music.✨

🤖 See engineering in action at Brilliantly Engineered 2026! Free #STEM festival at BRLSI from Sat 28 Feb. Hands-on activities, exhibits, demos and career insights for all ages. No tickets needed. More info: www.brlsi.org/whatso...

How the Renaissance came to Bath – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution The Holburne Museum, Bath, opened a sparkling new gallery in September 2025, showcasing one of the finest private collections of Renaissance silverware, paintings, bronzes, maiolica and gems, from the Schroder family collection. The masterpieces include a mechanical celestial globe, The Aldobrandini Tazza and paintings by artists including Lucas Cranach the Elder and Hans Holbein the Elder. In this talk, Holburne Museum Curator Eleanor Powlesland will reveal how an extraordinary collection of Renaissance treasures came to Bath in 2025 as a long-term highlight of the city’s cultural heritage. She will explain how the collection was created over generations, and how its magnificent riches fit into the global Renaissance movement. She will also pick some of her favourite items from the museum’s new Renaissance gallery to explore in detail.

🌍Join Holburne Museum, Bath Curator Eleanor Powlesland as she reveals how a stunning collection of Renaissance treasures came to Bath in 2025. Learn about the history, and enjoy a closer look at some of Eleanor’s favourite pieces.
Mon 16th Feb - In person or online

BMM – Bath Medical Museum Welcome to Bath Medical Museum. Our mission is to preserve and promote the history and importance of medicine in the city of Bath.

🩺 Can digital health go beyond gadgets to real clinical tools? Join Dr Lukasz Piwek (Bath) on wearable tech, AI in health, and balancing innovation, usability & privacy. Tue 10 Feb, Bath Medical Museum (www.bathmedicalmuseu...)
www.brlsi.org/whatso...

✨ Where’s our Krasnojarsk Pallasite? 🌌
Our cosmic rock is on tour at Cosmos: The Art of Observing Space @rwabristol (24 Jan–19 Apr 2026). One of only 61 pallasites on Earth!
www.rwa.org.uk/produ...

#Meteorite #Pallasite #ArtAndScience #SpaceRock #BRLSI #RWA

✨ What’s on at the Holburne Museum? ✨
We’ve got an exciting programme of talks, late nights and special events coming up, there’s truly something for everyone.

🎟️ Find out more and book your tickets:
https://ow.ly/uO9Q50XY287

NeverEnding Stories – free children’s activities – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Half term BRLSI February 2026

📚✨From cracking cases at the Federal Department of Fonts to building mythical #LEGO kingdoms, Neverending Stories at #BRLSI is packed with free, family-friendly activities that bring words to life.

📍 BRLSI, 16 Queen Square
🗓 17–18 February
⏰ 10am–4pm

🎟 Free, drop in!

Paul Langevin: physicist, humanist, internationalist – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Close to Einstein and the Curies, Paul Langevin’s life spanned the twentieth century physics revolution: relativity; radioactivity; quantum mechanics. Cambridge launched his prolific career, including contributions in magnetism, gas ionisation, kinetics and ultrasonics. A consummate teacher, he promoted science education and politically left-wing, he persistently warned against the rise of fascism. Professor Francis Duck, Fellow of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine, formerly at the Royal United Hospital and the University of Bath

📷Fifth Solvay Conference on #Physics, 24 to 29 October 1927, with #Langevin highlighted and seated next to #AlbertEinstein.

Join us at #BRLSI or online on Fri 6 Feb when fellow of @ipem.ac.uk, Professor Francis Duck will present a talk on Langevin’s life and a career.

Complete re-birth: talking all things Renaissance with Andreas Wasmuht - The Bath Magazine India Farnham catches up with Andreas Wasmuht, Director at BRLSI, to learn about its new series of Renaissance talks

#BathMagazine India Farnham chats with Andreas Wasmuht, Director at BRLSI, about the new Renaissance Journeys of Discovery series and why volunteering at the institution is a bit like Pirates of the Caribbean. Read the full interview...