14 minutes

War, commerce, research. How the Arctic became the epicentre of climate science

Svalbard, a desolate archipelago in the far reaches of the Arctic Ocean north of Norway, became inextricably entwined with climate science in 1930 when a landmark research paper was published on rising temperatures on its largest island, Spitsbergen. This ruminative video essay traces Svalbard’s complex history over the past century, during which it has been a hub for science, war and global commerce, and a reflection of the potential for human cooperation and destruction.

Video by Studiocanoe



7 minutes



6 minutes

Video/Ecology & Environmental Sciences


26 minutes


Echoes of a black hole


Sabine Hossenfelder

Idea/History of Science

How many great minds does it take to invent a telescope?

Thony Christie


What the spitting archerfish might tell us about small-brain intelligence

4 minutes

Idea/History of Science

Science funding is a gamble so let’s give out money by lottery

Shahar Avin


Minding matter


Adam Frank



5 minutes