We were privileged to have Helen lecture at our Convention in Sheffield last year. Discover the ocean’s vast engine: how it works, why it matters, and the many ways it has shaped animals, weather, and human history and culture. Watch now on our YouTube channel.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuzg...
'Standing up against the assumption that Earth is simple and will bend to our will is fundamentally a humanist thing to do'. Read this Humanist Climate Action interview with Dr Helen Czerski, our patron, ocean physicist, and author of 'Blue Machine'. humanists.uk/2026/03/06/h...
'Those who, like myself, are in communication with the advanced thought and thinkers throughout the world know that hundreds – nay, thousands – of women have thrown off the yoke of superstition and are thinking for themselves and working for others.'
Lady Florence Dixie (1855-1905) [pictured].
For those of you who missed the #RosalindFranklinLecture but wanted to attend, the recording will go live on YouTube in the coming weeks. Until then, you can read our full write up of the lecture on our website.
humanists.uk/2026/03/06/d...
And a special thank you to #RosalindFranklinLecture Chair @samiraahmeduk.bsky.social, and to our @conwayhall.bsky.social and online audience. There were over 1000 of you. We hope to see you all again very soon. Also, thank you to Belinda, for having a live ECG scan on stage - a Humanists UK first!
A huge round of applause for Dr Hannah Critchlow! Her #RosalindFranklinLecture offered phenomenal insight into how our biology, brains, and experiences shape who we are – and what that might mean for ideas of free will, identity, and connection. A whistle-stop tour of 100 years of neuroscience.
That's lovely. We hope you enjoy our recommendations. Who doesn't love a little book nook! If you liked the Little Book of Humanism, we recommend What I Believe too - it features some really great interviews with humanists in the public eye. We'll just pop this link here. humanists.uk/whatibelieve/
Learn more about the brave and radical women of the humanist movement on the Humanist Heritage website.
heritage.humanists.uk
We’ve raised the alarm about how the new rise of Christian Nationalism, imported from the US, threatens the progress that generations of women fought so hard to secure. By seeking to impose religious dogma on public law, these movements endanger women’s freedoms. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
But the struggle is far from over. While we recently succeeded in securing safe access zones around abortion clinics in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland to protect women from harassment, reproductive rights remain under threat. Around the world, we are seeing how freedoms are rolled back.
And there was Margaret Knight, whose seminal radio broadcasts about ‘morality without religion’ led to her being castigated by sexist tabloids as a foolish woman allowed to run wild by the lenient men in her life. You can learn more with @profaliceroberts.bsky.social. youtu.be/0LCTHGm1-lg?...
We honour pioneers like Diane Munday, Emma Martin, the ‘blasphemous’ lecturer, and Florence Dixie, the war correspondent, suffragist, and footballer. We follow in the footsteps of writers such as George Eliot, and Lorraine Hansberry, and scientists like Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin.
They risked imprisonment to pioneer access to birth control and legalise reproductive healthcare – making sure that women, not the church or state, would finally take control of their own futures. Today, we work to preserve those rights and continue their legacy.
humanists.uk/2026/03/06/h...
Despite fierce opposition, they dismantled legal barriers to owning property, earning a wage, entering ‘male-only’ professions or higher education, and securing the fundamental right to vote. It was women in the humanist movement who led the charge for bodily autonomy in the 19th and 20th centuries.
For over 130 years, women in the humanist movement have been a radical voice for progress. This #WomensHistoryMonth we celebrate all brave the women who risked everything speaking up for humanism or challenging the influence of religion in society. 🧵
Fascinating lecture by Dr Hannah Critchlow on the extent to which we are “pre-programmed” by our genes versus neuroplasticity. (Image shows what happens to the brain when the volunteer on stage was given clay to play with) #RosalindFranklinlecture
Fascinating lecture by the brilliant Hannah Critchlow on the ways our brains build us as individuals. Another excellent #RosalindFranklinLecture. Thank you @humanists.uk for a wonderful evening.
Very touching to hear Hannah pay tribute to Rosalind Franklin at the end of the lecture – whose crucial contribution to discovering DNA’s structure was only fully recognised after her death. A humanist hero. You can read more on the #HumanistHeritage website.
heritage.humanists.uk/rosalind-fra...
That's a wrap! Congratulations to Dr Hannah Critchlow, our #RosalindFranklinLecture Medallist 2026. A wonderful lecture. Hannah's contributions to neuroscience truly embody the spirit of inquiry and education that the Rosalind Franklin Medal celebrates. Well deserved. Thank you, everyone!
That's a wrap! Congratulations to Dr Hannah Critchlow, our #RosalindFranklinLecture Medallist 2026. A wonderful lecture. Hannah's contributions to neuroscience truly embody the spirit of inquiry and education that the Rosalind Franklin Medal celebrates. Well deserved. Thank you, everyone!
Peer support and friendship really matter for brain health, says Hannah Critchlow. Eye-to-eye contact and genuine social interaction help groups of brains synchronise. When collaboration and connection decline, that brain-to-brain synchrony can fade too. #RosalindFranklinLecture
Q&A: Has there been research on when we begin to lose memory as we age? Hannah notes changes can be linked to declining estrogen levels, affecting brain energy systems and cognitive sharpness. But lifestyle really matters: exercise, diet, and strong social connections help support brain health.
Hannah closes by reminding us that the diversity of human minds has underpinned both our evolution and our species’ success. Recognising this should encourage us to be more compassionate, to celebrate individuality, and the different neurocognitive strengths in an increasingly connected world.
Hannah suggests humanity may be entering a 'great evolutionary transition'. Technology is linking billions of brains together, creating a vast collective 'brain pool' where ideas can be shared, debated, and refined in real time – a new level of collective intelligence. #RosalindFranklinLecture
Mind-blowing insight into ancestral (transgenerational) memory. From mice that can inherit a fear of the smell of cherries to emerging evidence of epigenetic effects in humans, Hannah shows how experiences may leave biological marks that echo across generations.
www.theguardian.com/books/articl...
Why are some people introverts and others extroverts? Hannah Critchlow explains that part of the difference lies in how our brains respond to stimulation and reward. Extroverts often seek out dopamine in social interaction while introverts tend to have higher cortical arousal in the brain at rest.
Genetic science has exploded in the past decade. As Hannah Critchlow explains, we can now sequence vast amounts of genetic info, revealing that inheritance isn’t just about physical traits – but can also influence complex behaviours (including addiction vulnerability, longevity, mental illness).
A first for a Humanists UK lecture, a live brain scan! Phenomenal to watch our audience volunteer’s brain activity – the electric 'dance' of neurons scientists have been measuring for over a century – captured live on an EEG. A fantastic whistle-stop-tour of neuroscience.
Four women on stage, one of whom is hooked up to a machine showing her brain waves
First live brain scan at a @humanists.uk event!
And we're off! A very warm welcome our speaker this evening Dr Hannah Critchlow, and to the #RosalindFranklinLecture chair @samiraahmeduk.bsky.social. We're excited to learn more about the our DNA, neural wiring, and perception of reality. Packed audience at @conwayhall.bsky.social.
