EXPLORE THE RI ADVENT CALENDAR: http://rigb.org.uk/advent It's that time of year again! The Royal Institution announces its 2013 online advent calendar... This year's Ri advent series is an ambitious video journey through the human genome. Inspired by the forthcoming 'Life Fantastic' CHRISTMAS LECTURES with Dr Alison Woollard, we'll release a different video each day between 1 December and Christmas Eve. The short films will explore the 23 pairs of human chromosomes and the mitochondrial DNA that make up the building blocks of human life. Highlights include geneticist Dr Adam Rutherford exploring what 'junk' DNA is, a light-hearted look at male baldness with former Christmas lecturer Mark Miodownik, and a visit to Alison's lab at the University of Oxford to learn more about the genetic control of ageing. We'll explain Nobel Prize winning science, take a trip to the zoo and delve into the mysteries of ginger hair. The series will also raise awareness of several rare and not-so-rare genetic disorders such as Alkaptonuria (AKU) as well as other more well known diseases with a hereditary link including breast cancer. Through interviews with experts and personal stories we'll reveal the genetic secrets behind these conditions and highlight the latest cutting-edge research to help prevent, treat and manage them. With thanks to BBSRC: http://bbsrc.ac.uk/ Don't miss the 2013 CHRISTMAS LECTURES on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer: http://rigb.org/christmas-lectures The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter