Professor Michael Sternberg Head of Bioinformatics Imperial College London

Bring a working scientist into a schoolBring a working scientist into a school A Royal Society Partnership Award to Mathilda Marks-Kennedy SchoolA Royal Society Partnership Award to Mathilda Marks-Kennedy School The Royal Society was set up in 1660 to help science and has been very important ever since.The Royal Society was set up in 1660 to help science and has been very important ever since.

Science Museum

Many scientists work in laboratories My team just use computers to crack the code of biology

TodayToday –Writing in code –How people at Bletchley Park broke the German codes during World War II –How computers were invented to help crack codes Next weekNext week –Bletchley Park Visit Two weeks timeTwo weeks time –How Biology uses codes

Here is a way to send a secret messageHere is a way to send a secret message Write with a special pen on paperWrite with a special pen on paper Give your message to your friendGive your message to your friend Your friend has a special torch and can read the message.Your friend has a special torch and can read the message.

If someone else gets the paper, they could also a the special torch and read your message!!!If someone else gets the paper, they could also a the special torch and read your message!!! Not the best idea!!!Not the best idea!!!

1) First two people meet and agree on the code

2) - The first person can then write the message in code and send it to the second person

3) The second person gets the message and then changes the code back to the message. Changing the code back is called ‘deciphering’.

Message Alphabet: abcdefgh…xyzMessage Alphabet: abcdefgh…xyz Code Alphabet: ABCDEFGH…XYZCode Alphabet: ABCDEFGH…XYZ

Message Alphabet: abcdefgh…xyzMessage Alphabet: abcdefgh…xyz Code Alphabet: ZABCDEFGH…XYCode Alphabet: ZABCDEFGH…XY

Message Alphabet: abcdefgh…xyzMessage Alphabet: abcdefgh…xyz Code Alphabet: YZABCDEFGH…XCode Alphabet: YZABCDEFGH…X

Letter in message Letter in code

First two people meet and agree on the code Let’s use the shift code and when the real letter is ‘a’ the code will be ‘Y’

2) - The first person can then write the message in code and send it to the second person Message : h ello Code: : F CJJM

3) The second person gets the message and then changes the code back to the message. Changing the code back is called ‘deciphering’. Code: : FCJJM Message : h ello

Code: L ORYH LFH FUHDP Message:

Code: L ORYH LFH FUHDP Message: a

Code: L ORYH LFH FUHDP Message: a dgns auw ujwse

Code: L ORYH LFH FUHDP Message:

Code: L ORYH LFH FUHDP Message: i

Code: L ORYH LFH FUHDP Message: i love ice cream

Code: LORYHLFHFUHDP in the code there are 3H, 2F, 2L most common letters in ENGLISH is E often used are: A, H, I, N,O,R,T

Code: LORYHLFHFUHDP Message: i?o?ei?e?rea?

Code: LORYHLFHFUHDP Message: iloveicecream

Message Alphabet: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz EGNALFDROHTUCBPJIMKSQWVYX Code Alphabet: ZEGNALFDROHTUCBPJIMKSQWVYX Scramble up alphabet But still can be cracked by guessing that code letters that are used often are for letters like E in English

In World War II, the Germans used a machine called the Enigma Machine to make very clever codesIn World War II, the Germans used a machine called the Enigma Machine to make very clever codes The Enigma Machine used several wheels to scramble up the messageThe Enigma Machine used several wheels to scramble up the message

Type in message Coded letters light up Wheels

These codes were cracked here in World War II

First they built a machine with wheels and lights called a ‘Bombe’.

Later they built the very first computer which was called ‘Colossus’.

We have learnt:We have learnt: –shifting or scrambling the alphabet makes codes –codes can be cracked by hard work –the first computer was built by the British to crack the Enigma code in World War II.

Mrs Ben Ze’ev for suggesting this partnershipMrs Ben Ze’ev for suggesting this partnership The Royal Society for providing fundsThe Royal Society for providing funds Dr Suhail Islam (Imperial College London ) for the wheels and the movieDr Suhail Islam (Imperial College London ) for the wheels and the movie My daughter for advice on what I should say and how I should make the slides.My daughter for advice on what I should say and how I should make the slides.