Newton's apple seeds to grow on Wellcome Genome Campus

Wellcome Genome Campus Connecting Science celebrate International Science Centre Day

Sir Isaac Newton was famously sitting under an apple tree, when a falling apple inspired his revolutionary theories about gravity. Today, seeds from that very same apple tree have been collected and sent to specially selected UK Science Centres and Science Museums, including the Wellcome Genome Campus.

Ann Blackett

Newton's apple tree in National Trust’s Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire, the birthplace and family home of Sir Isaac Newton, from which the seeds have been taken.

Wellcome Genome Campus Connecting Science applied for the seeds so that they can grow their own Newton’s Apple Tree under which they can share the Campus’ science and stories with school children and the public. This unique and rare event is in celebration of the World’s first UNESCO-backed International Science Centre and Science Museum Day.

The apple pips have been donated by National Trust’s Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire, the birthplace and family home of Sir Isaac Newton. Newton’s tree still flourishes in the orchard there and continues to inspire visitors from all across the world.

“Pips from the tree are currently in space on the International Space Centre, originally sent up with Tim Peake as part of his ‘Principia’ mission. They have certainly travelled far and wide! I’m delighted to share apple pips with other amazing sites for science across the country and hope that the project will engage young people with the fascinating story of Newton. He truly shaped modern scientific thinking here at Woolsthorpe when he worked on his theory of gravity and also explored light and calculus.”

Jannette Warrener Operations Manager for Woolsthorpe Manor

This project has been made possible through a partnership with The UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC), the national charity that brings together the UK’s major science engagement organisations. Together UK Science centres and museums involve 20 million children and adults every year with science through their hands-on science programmes, schools science programmes and community activities.

On Thursday November 10th 2016, Science Centres and Science Museums across the world are joining forces to celebrate International Science Centres and Science Museum Day. The day, backed by UNESCO, recognises at the highest levels the huge contribution that science centres and museums make every day, on every continent, in inspiring young people and families with science.

“We are delighted to be able to celebrate the day by sharing Newtons’s apples seeds with families and the public through the impressive network of UK science centres. As a nation and a global society we have some major challenges ahead that will take scientific creativity and entrepreneurship to solve. Science Centres and Museums are at the heart of bringing the latest science to the public across the UK and helping children and adults to get involved with science in a hands-on and inspirational way, building the skills we need to create a better world for the future.”

Dr Penny Fidler CEO of The UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC)

“World Science Day is an excellent initiative, which Connecting Science is proud to be part of. This initiative is an excellent example of engaging the wider public with science in a different and interesting way.”
Dr Julian Rayner Director of Wellcome Genome Campus Connecting Science

More information

30 Science and Discovery centres and related organisations have been selected to plant Newton’s Apple Seeds.

Recipients include:

National Space Centre	Leicester
Science Museum	London
Glasgow Science Centre	Glasgow
Our Dynamic Earth	Edinburgh
Eden Project	Cornwall
The Royal Society	London
Thinktank, Birmingham Museums Trust	Birmingham
Centre for Life	Newcastle
Techniquest	Cardiff
W5	Belfast
Dundee Science Centre	Dundee
Eureka! The National Children’s Museum	Halifax
At-Bristol Science Centre	Bristol
Observatory Science Centre	Sussex
Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre	Cheshire
Cambridge Science Centre	Cambridge
Aberdeen Science Centre	Aberdeen
Techniquest Glyndwr	North Wales
Oxford Centre for innovation	Oxford
Winchester Science Centre	Winchester
The Royal Astronomical Society	Cornwall
STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory	Oxfordshire
STFC Daresbury Laboratory	Cheshire
Royal Observatory Greenwich	London
Royal Observatory Edinburgh	Edinburgh

About Newton’s apple seeds

Apple seeds from the tree that inspired Sir Isaac Newton have also made an epic journey into space. Seeds from the apple tree that inspired one of the world’s greatest scientists have joined British astronaut Tim Peake on his journey into space. Tim’s mission was named Principia after Sir Isaac Newton’s book about forces and gravity

About Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton was born at Woolsthorpe Manor in 1642 and made many of his most important discoveries about light and gravity there, in the plague years of 1665-6. As well as his ground-breaking scientific work, Newton went on to be Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, President of the Royal Society and Master of the Royal Mint. Newton is famously quoted as saying: ‘it was an afternoon such as this – in the orchard at Woolsthorpe – that occasioned my thoughts on gravity’…..

About apple trees

Apple trees take many years to grow. On arrival at the science centres the pips will be planted in a flowerpot and put in the fridge to simulate winter, and then in February be taken out to warmer conditions which will trigger them to grow. Not all will germinate and we are sending each centre several seeds.