Inside Alan Turing's unpublished WWII code-breaking notebooks
Notebooks containing Alan Turing 's unpublished WWII code-breaking work have been saved for the UK.
A fundraising campaign led by Friends of the Nations' Libraries secured the funds to purchase the notebooks, preventing their sale to an international bidder.
The notebooks detail Turing's "Delilah project," focusing on building a portable voice encoder.
A substantial donation from XTX Markets, along with contributions from other organisations and individuals, enabled King's College, Cambridge, to acquire the archive.
The notebooks will be added to the existing Turing collection at King's College and made available online for research and study.
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Glasgow Times
31-05-2025
- Glasgow Times
Lost Alan Turing papers set to fetch £150K at auction
The incredible archive was found gathering dust in an attic in Bermondsey, London, after its owner moved into a care home and her daughters began clearing out her loft. Among the documents which were nearly destroyed was a personal copy of the mathematical genius' PHD dissertation from 1938-39 and his first published paper from 1935. The papers, known as "offprints", had originally been gifted by Turing's mother, Ethel to her son's friend and fellow mathematician Norman Routledge. They were produced in very small numbers and distributed within academia, making them "incredibly scarce" survivors that rarely ever appear on the market. The documents were nearly destroyed. (Image: SWNS) The collection is now expected to sell for between £100,000-£150,000 when it goes under the hammer at Rare Book Auctions in Lichfield, Staffs, on June 17. Turing was one of the famous codebreakers at Bletchley Park who played a vital role in cracking the Enigma code, which led to Allied victory in World War Two. Despite helping to shorten the war by an estimated four years, on March 31 1952, he was prosecuted for homosexual acts and died from cyanide poisoning on June 7, 1954, aged 41. Shortly before pleading guilty, Turing sent a poignant letter to Norman Routledge, the original owner of the papers being sold. The letter, known as 'Yours in distress', was read by Routledge when he appeared in "The Strange Life and Death of Dr Turing" on the BBC's Horizon in 1992. It has also since been read by Benedict Cumberbatch after it was presented by Routledge to King's College, Cambridge, where it now resides in The Turing Archive. The collection is expected to make £150k. (Image: SWNS) But he kept the collection of Turing's offprints, which were eventually rescued by his nieces and nephews. One of the nieces explained: 'Following his retirement from Eton College, Norman bought and lived in a house in Bermondsey. "When he died in 2013, two of his sisters had the unenviable task of sorting through and emptying the contents. "There were lots of personal papers which one sister carted away and stored in her loft. The papers lay dormant until she moved into a care home almost a decade later. "Her daughters came across the papers and considered shredding everything. "Fortunately, they checked with Norman's nieces and nephews because he'd always been a presence in our lives. The papers were saved by Turing's friend, Norman. (Image: SWNS) Adding: "One cousin felt the Turing and Forster papers might be of interest to collectors. "After taking them home for a closer look, she decided to attend a local valuation day hosted by Hansons Auctioneers, who consigned them for research with their specialist saleroom, Rare Book Auctions. "We were bowled over by the valuations and level of enthusiasm.' The collection includes his PhD dissertation from 1938-39, Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals, which is signed by Turing, having been his personal copy. This document alone has been valued by the auction house at £40,000 to £60,000 as has his 1936-37 paper entitled On Computable Numbers. The paper introduced the world to the idea of a 'universal computing machine', which, despite the model's simplicity, is capable of implementing any computer algorithm, and has been described as the first programming manual of the computer age. The papers have been checked by experts. (Image: SWNS) Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, who is more famed for finding Harry Potter first editions, described the collection as "the most important archive I've ever handled.' He said the exchange of offprints had historically been a method of correspondence between scholars and is prized by collectors as representing the first separate edition of an important work. He added: 'Nothing could've prepared me for what I was about to find in that carrier bag. "These seemingly plain papers-perfectly preserved in the muted colours of their unadorned, academic wrappers - represent the foundations of computer science and modern digital computing. "Literature has always been my forte, not mathematics, so the past few months of intensively researching and cataloguing these papers has left me feeling that Alan Turing was superhuman. The collection includes letters. (Image: SWNS) "For me, it's like studying the language of another planet, something composed by an ultra-intelligent civilisation." The collection also includes The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis, which dates from 1952, and is Turing's lesser-known masterpiece of mathematical biology. It has since become a basic model in theoretical biology, describing what have come to be known as 'Turing patterns'. Mr Spencer said: 'As recently as 2023, a study confirmed Turing's mathematical model hypothesis as outlined in The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis. "In this way the papers are still alive. They're still relevant and groundbreaking. 'We even have Turing's first published paper from 1935 – Equivalence of Left and Right Almost Periodicity – which is simply a single sheet of paper. The collection is set to get interest from around the world. (Image: SWNS) "And the provenance couldn't be better. The archive was gifted to Turing's friend and fellow mathematician Norman Arthur Routledge (1928-2013) by Turing's mother Ethel - and we have her handwritten letter explaining this." In the letter, dated May 16, 1956, Ethel Turing says: 'I have to-day sent by registered post 13 of Alan's off-prints...I don't know what people in Cambridge thought of the manner of Alan's death. "I am convinced it was accidental as the experiment of coke under electrolysis – which smelt of cyanide had been going on for weeks – I feel sure he got some of this on his fingers & so on to the apple he customarily ate in bed...I have had some requests to write a biography of Alan...I have masses of material because from the time he was about 6 I spotted a winner – despite many detractors at school – and kept many papers about him.' Mr Spencer added: "This fascinating letter is a golden thread that neatly ties up and seals the authenticity of everything being offered. "The potential value compels us to offer the papers individually. The price is unknown and could run to any amount. Recommended Reading 'Anything with a direct connection to Turing is highly desirable and almost impossible to find. "These papers were owned by his close friend Norman, having been gifted to him by Turing's mother. That's what makes this collection so significant. 'Hardly anything like this appears on the open market, so predicting hammer prices is fortune-telling." Adding: "I suspect interest will be strong in Silicon Valley – where Turing's influence shines brightly – but it would be lovely to see material acquired by institutions who could share things with the public."
The Herald Scotland
29-05-2025
- The Herald Scotland
'World's first' diving expedition to secluded Scottish shoreline
The team was made up of a marine archaeologist, a Royal Engineer bomb disposal diver, two marine biologists and a world-record-holding female powerboat racer. They were led by marine conservationist, broadcaster and former Royal Marine Monty Halls, whose most notable adventures include leading a multi-disciplinary team to the discovery of a sunken city off the Indian coast, three expeditions to Malawi to explore the ecosystems of the famous freshwater lake, and one to South Africa diving for evidence of prehistoric settlements in cave systems off the Cape. READ MORE: The successful expedition, which took place between May 17-24, found munitions, debris, and relics of the first amphibious training operations run the Commandos and SOE – the Special Operations Executive. The historical remnants, left on land and the seabed during secret military training during WWII, have helped build a picture of what was involved in the preparation. Using methodical surveying techniques to find relics beneath the sand, the team's diving operations were the first ever to take place where the amphibious landings had been rehearsed from June 1940 onwards.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Strange link discovered between painful skin disease and stubborn belly fat
Researchers have discovered a surprising link between abdominal fat and painful psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin condition. Studies have shown obesity is a risk factor for psoriasis, but never before have scientists established the waist and belly to be the most influential spots. Psoriasis and obesity, which affects about 100million American adults, share the same biological pathway: chronic inflammation. Adipose (fat) tissue releases inflammatory chemicals that clash with the immune system, which can cause inflammation in the skin, and psoriasis' trademark red, scaly rash. The team of dermatologists from King's College London analyzed data from over 330,000 white people living in the UK, including more than 9,000 with psoriasis, which affects roughly 7.5million Americans. They examined 25 different body fat measures using traditional methods, such as calipers that pinch skin folds, and advanced imaging techniques, such as highly specialized X-ray scans, assessing how each was associated with psoriasis. Researchers found the waist-to-hip ratio on a person was the strongest risk factor for psoriasis, but didn't reveal why specifically that type of fat had the strongest association. Dr Ravi Ramessur, lead investigator on the study, said: 'Our research shows that where fat is stored in the body matters when it comes to psoriasis risk. Central fat — especially around the waist — seems to play a key role. 'This has important implications for how we identify individuals who may be more likely to develop psoriasis or experience more severe disease, and how we approach prevention and treatment strategies.' The researchers measured overall 'central' fat around the torso, encompassing subcutaneous fat right below the skin's surface, and dangerous visceral fat that wraps around the organs. The link between central fat and psoriasis remained consistent regardless of genetic predisposition, indicating that abdominal fat is an independent risk factor. Dr Catherine Smith, senior author, said: 'As rates of obesity continue to rise globally, understanding how different patterns of body fat influence chronic inflammatory conditions such as psoriasis is important. 'Our findings suggest that central body fat contributes to psoriasis risk irrespective of genetic predisposition and reinforces the importance of measuring waist circumference and pro-active healthy weight strategies in psoriasis care.' In addition to releasing inflammatory compounds, fat tissue hijacks the body's balance of hormones. The hormone leptin normally signals to the brain the body is full and it's time to stop eating. But fat cells overproduce this hormone, breaking that 'stop eating' signal. The overabundance of leptin also stimulates the production of inflammatory cytokines, leading to a psoriasis breakout of painful rashes and subsequent flare-ups in the skin. In a related editorial, Dr Joel Gelfand, a dermatology expert at the University of Pennsylvania, highlights the promise of specific gut hormone therapies – mainly GLP-1 and GIP, which help control blood sugar, digestion, and hunger – as potential therapies for psoriatic disease. These hormones, sold under brands like Ozmepic, Wegovy and Zepbound, are already used to treat diabetes, obesity, and obesity-related sleep apnea. A separate 2024 NIH-funded report in the journal Psoriasis analyzed four studies involving 23 patients with both psoriasis and type 2 diabetes who took a GLP-1 receptor agonist drug. Every study showed significant reductions in PASI scores, a measure of psoriasis severity. Two studies showed fewer markers of inflammation in layers of the skin and reduced harmful immune responses. Patients also reported improved quality of life. Now, researchers are exploring whether the drugs could also help manage psoriatic disease, possibly by tackling the inflammation and metabolic issues linked to psoriasis. According to Dr Gelfand, the powerful link between obesity and psoriasis, as well as the evidence that GLP-1 drugs could alleviate symptoms, signals it's time to launch clinical trials testing the drugs specifically for psoriasis. He said: 'The strong relationship between psoriasis and obesity and the emerging promise of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1RA) for reducing psoriasis morbidity is a call to action for large scale clinical trials of GLP1RA monotherapy for treatment of psoriasis. 'Our current paradigm of just focusing on the skin and joint manifestations when treating psoriasis is outdated in the context of our evolving understanding of the tight relationship of psoriasis, obesity, and cardiometabolic disease.'
