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Happiness
What really makes us smile?
Taking Time Out
Making sense of gaps in our lives that take us out of our routine.
Imitation
Why do human beings copy one another so much?
Plant and flower shapes
What makes a plant leaf or flower either flat and simple or curly and complicated?
What’s the best way to build up new markets?
How do we encourage enterprise in a way that benefits lots of people, not just a few?
Connections with the sea
Are all linked to the sea, even if we live hundreds of miles from the coast?
The vanishing world of our ancestors
Ancient tradition and custom among tribal people, and what we can learn from it.
Improvisation
Why improvising comes naturally to all of us.
Ice
New views from the world’s freezer
Meaning in Life
What makes your life meaningful? With Alain de Botton, Susan Wolf and Alexandre Mitchell.
The Challenge of Ageing
Is it time to re-define what we actually mean by Old Age?
Making Good Law
It’s the basis of society: but what is the secret to creating laws that really work?
The Forum @ London's South Bank: A celebration of women of African and Caribbean descent.
Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze, Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Ayanna Witter-Johnson
Viruses: in medicine, technology and in our minds
The terrifying and wonderful viral world with Peter Piot, Angela Belcher, Susan Blackmore
What If...The Forum could change the world?
Visions of the future with Michio Kaku, Barbara Sahakian and Karen Lord.
Obsessions, new and old, in literature and technology
With Javier Marias, Evgeny Morozov and Manil Suri.
Progress: Are we Making Any?
Advances suggest that things can only get better for the majority of people. Is it true?
The Mysterious Kingdom of Fungi
The surprising tough and ecological building substance that could reshape our world
Us and Them
Why divide ourselves into two camps - is what separates us stronger than what unites us?
Silence
From communication and contemplation to obedience and shame, we explore silence
The Art of Political Decision Making
Political decisions are hard to make. What strategies can be used to take decisive action?
Does Finance Have to be Invisible?
What would it take to fix the underlying flaws in our banking system?
Why Do We Tell Stories?
Why do stories have similar narratives over and over again?
Curiosity
Curiosity has always been with us but how important is it to science and to society?
Fragility in Nature
Materials, relationships, ecosystems - what makes them resistant - or prone to failure?
Globalisation: is it changing the way we think?
What impact is globalisation having on our sense of personal and national identity?
Dust and Ash
How dust helps to keep the planet cooler and nourishes the Amazon rainforest
What Makes Your Adrenaline Flow?
Are high-altitude climbers and multiple marathon runners adrenaline junkies?
Peering into Space at Aspen Ideas Festival
Cutting-edge space science, including asteroids, dark matter and how to detect tiny units
Can Artists Make the World a Better Place?
Can putting art in unusual places help improve our world?
Survival at Sea
If by accident you are thrown into icy waters, what can help your chances of survival?
