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ISSUE 58
 
 APRIL 2009
Will coeliac diseasealways meangluten-ree?
Pen-pushers
Meet the winning science writers
Nanotech art
Small science, big ideas
Forbiddenood
 
Throughout 2009, events, exhibitions, andradio and TV programmes are celebratingthe 200th anniversary of the birth of CharlesDarwin, and the 150th anniversary of thepublication of his great scientic work
On theOrigin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
.Recognising the importance of Darwin’slife and work, the Wellcome Trust haspreviously played a part in preserving hishistory. In 1996, a donation from the Trusthelped English Heritage to acquire DownHouse, Darwin’s home for 40 years. We are apart-funder of the Darwin CorrespondenceProject (
www.darwinproject.ac.uk
), whichis digitising and putting online the textof 14 500 or so of his letters. And Darwin’swalking stick formed part of Henry Wellcome’scollection; it can be seen in the
 Medicine Man
 exhibition at Wellcome Collection.But for the Trust’s celebrations of Darwin in2009, which form part of the UK’s Darwin200activities, we didn’t just want to look to thepast – but to ask in addition ‘how can we bringDarwin into the 21st century?’Our most ambitious and exciting project isto deliver a free, Darwin-inspired experimentto every schoolchild in the country. Forprimary schools, we invited the Royal BotanicGardens, Kew, to develop a science project,and they have created The Great Plant Hunt(
www.greatplanthunt.org
). Around 21 000primary schools will receive a box – modelledon a travel chest as if from the
 Beagle
voyageitself – containing a suite of activities for eachyear group, such as walks and seed banks.For secondary schools, the Survival Rivalsproject (
www.survivalrivals.org
) provideskits allowing each year group to perform realexperiments and learn about the scienticmethod. These include ‘I’m a Worm GetMe Out of Here’, which demonstrates thescientic principle of natural selectionthrough predator–prey relationships, ‘BrineDate’, which looks at sexual selection, and‘The X-Bacteria’, which engages pupils in thevery topical issue of antibiotic resistance.We have also funded a beautiful, animated‘y-through’ of the Tree of Life, aired as partof David Attenborough’s recent BBC Darwindocumentary. On the internet, the animationbecomes a fully interactive application(
www.wellcometreeoife.org
) that allowsthe user to explore in 3D the commonancestors of up to 400 species. Furthermore,the entire application is freely customisable,allowing users to add their own data andmodify the animation for school lessons orscientic presentations.Among our other web-based activitiesis Routes, a new website with eight onlineprogrammes following Katherine Ryan,a comedian, who is learning abouther own genes after having had cancertwice and developing lupus. The site(
www.routesgame.com
) is designed toengage young audiences in contemporaryscientic issues.It’s not often that the science communitygets to celebrate the life and work of one of itsluminaries in such depth, and so it’s an excitingyear. With The Great Plant Hunt and SurvivalRivals, we are delighted to be working withschools to provide opportunities for childrento learn about evolution and natural selectionthrough practical experimentation. The Treeof Life animation and Routes website help toshow how modern technology can be used tointerpret Darwin’s ideas in different ways. Wehope that these activities – together with therest of the UK’s Darwin200 activities – help toenthuse the next generation about science.
Wellcome
News | Issue 58
Sir Mark WalportDirector o the Wellcome Trust
Wellcome News
Wellcome News
is published our timesa year and is available ree o charge. To subscribe, contact:
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Wellcome TrustFREEPOST RLYJ-UJHU-EKHJSlough SL3 0BP
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publishing@wellcome.ac.ukor go to:
www.wellcome.ac.uk/wellcomenews
 
We positively encourage letters to theEditor and suggestions or uture articles.Please contact: The Editor
Wellcome News
 Wellcome TrustGibbs Building215 Euston RoadLondon NW1 2BE
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wellcome.news@wellcome.ac.uk
Editor
Chrissie Giles
Writers
Craig Brierley, Chrissie Giles,Mun-Keat Looi, Michael Regnier,Catherine Whitlock
Design
Cosima Dinkel
 Assistant Editor
Tom Freeman
Photography
Richard Hall, David Sayer
Publisher
Hugh Blackbourn
 All images, unless otherwise stated, are romthe Wellcome Library. Copies o images canbe obtained through Wellcome Images(http://images.wellcome.ac.uk).
 The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK.It unds innovative biomedical research, in the UKand internationally, spending over £600 million eachyear to support the brightest scientists with the bestideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debateabout biomedical research and its impact on healthand wellbeing.
www.wellcome.ac.uk
 This is an open access publication and, with theexception o images and illustrations, the contentmay, unless otherwise stated, be reproduced reeo charge in any ormat or medium, subject to theollowing constraints: content must be reproducedaccurately; content must not be used in amisleading context; the Wellcome Trust must beattributed as the original author and the title o thedocument specied in the attribution. The viewsand opinions expressed by writers within
WellcomeNews
do not necessarily refect those o theWellcome Trust or Editor. No responsibility isassumed by the publisher or any injury and/ordamage to persons or property as a matter o products liability, negligence or otherwise, or romany use or operation o any methods, products,instructions or ideas contained in the materialherein. ISSN 1356-9112. First published by theWellcome Trust, 2009. © The trustee o theWellcome Trust. The Wellcome Trust is a charityregistered in England, no. 210183. Its sole trustee is The Wellcome Trust Limited, a company registeredin England, no. 2711000, whose registered oce isat 215 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK.
PU-4410/13.2K/04-2009/CDCover: Foods containing gluten are harmul to people withcoeliac disease. See pages 12–13.
Editorial
 This document was printed on materialmade rom 25 per cent post-consumer waste & 25 per cent pre-consumer waste. 
50%
Sir David Attenborough and primary school childrenlaunching The Great Plant Hunt.
 
Wellcome
News | Issue 58
In this issueExplore
animated
 
digital sculptures
o disabled motion (top),discover Julie Freemanand Jeremy Ramsden’s
‘Nano Novels’
(centrelet), nd out the latest on
antioxidants and ageing
(centre), see what’s dishedup in the
Wellcome Trustwindows
(bottom let), urrowyour brow at the
WellcomeLibrary’s archives
(below),and more…News ............................2–5Funding ........................7–8Research ..................10–15FeaturesEssaying orth ...............6Novel thinking ...............9Gut reaction ..........12–13From the archives .......16Noticeboard ...................17
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