The Science of Fate

For millennia, humanity has wrestled with the concept of destiny. To the ancients, it was the whim of the gods; to Enlightenment thinkers, it was a superstition to be swept away by the autonomous self. But as we venture further into the 21st century, a new kind of determinism is emerging – not written in the stars, but said to be inscribed in our DNA and our neural wiring.

In this riveting lecture on the science of fate, Dr Hannah Critchlow will invite us to reconsider the 'free will' we cherish, investigating whether, to any degree, it could be an illusion generated by the brain’s need for a coherent narrative – and the possible risks of such ‘forbidden knowledge’.

Hannah will take us on a journey through the developing, hungry, and caring brain, examining how our lives are shaped by forces set in motion long before our conscious minds take the stage. She will explore how the microscopic methylation of our DNA in the womb and the structural sensitivity of our amygdalae influence and drive our political affiliations, our mental health, and even our romantic choices. Yet, this is not a counsel of despair. Hannah will demonstrate that by accepting the reality of our biological constraints, we may finally acquire the tools to alter them.

This Rosalind Franklin Lecture promises to be a tour de force combining neuroscience and compassion, suggesting that while the Fates may spin the thread, we can still choose the tapestry we weave.

About Dr Hannah Critchlow

Dr Hannah Critchlow is an internationally acclaimed neuroscientist, broadcaster, and author with a background in neuropsychiatry. She is a Fellow at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, and has been named a Top 100 UK Scientist by the Science Council for her work in science communication. Hannah is widely known for demystifying the human brain for public audiences, having presented and contributed to numerous television and radio programmes, including BBC Radio 4’s The Life Scientific and Tomorrow’s World Live.

Hannah’s research and writing focus on the brain's potential and the extent to which our biology dictates our future. In 2019, she published The Science of Fate, which received critical acclaim for its accessible approach to complex neuroscience, went on to become a Sunday Times Bestseller and was translated into eight different languages. In 2022, Joined-Up Thinking: The Science of Collective Intelligence and its Power to Change Our Lives was published to critical acclaim, and her next book, The 21st Century Brain, will be published in 2026.

About Samira Ahmed

Journalist and broadcaster Samira Ahmed presents Front Row on Radio 4, Newswatch on BBC1 and co-hosts the vintage TV podcast Through The Square Window. She writes a column in New Humanist and is President of the Twentieth Century Society, which campaigns to protect modern architectural heritage. Samira is a trustee of the Centre for Women's Justice. Her BFI Film Classics book on the Beatles' first film A Hard Day’s Night is published in April 2026 by Bloomsbury. 

About the Rosalind Franklin Lecture series

Marking International Women’s Day, the Rosalind Franklin Lecture explores and celebrates the contribution of women towards the promotion and advancement of aspects of humanism in the UK and around the world. The Rosalind Franklin medallist has made a significant contribution in one of these fields.

The lecture and medal are named for Rosalind Franklin, humanist and scientist, whose contribution to science for many years went unacknowledged on account of her sex but who is today rightly celebrated.