Magna Fires Up Science Stamps Launch

Sparks flew at Magna as Royal Mail launched its latest set of special stamps, celebrating the work of some of the world's most famous scientists.

Staff showcased 10 First Class stamps produced to mark the 350^th anniversary of the Royal Society - the world's oldest scientific academy - surrounded by some of the Centre's spectacular exhibits.

Magna was the ideal location to launch the stamps. On sale from Thursday 25 February, they feature 10 significant Royal Society fellows whose portraits are paired with dramatic and colourful imagery representing their achievements.

Royal Mail consulted with experts from the Royal Society to choose figures spanning the last 350 years who best showed how the work of the academy has had a major impact on people's understanding of science and the world.

The stamps depict Royal Society members from its foundation to the 21^st century, including chemist Robert Boyle, proposer of 'Boyle's Law' relating to the action of pressure on gases; Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States who made huge advances in the understanding of electricity; Sir Isaac Newton, whose work in optics is recognised on his stamp; and, reflecting one of the key issues of today, geologist and climatologist Sir Nicholas Shackleton, who was knighted for his studies into the effect carbon dioxide and variations in the Earth's orbit have on climate change.

Rachel Bannister, Marketing Manager at Magna commented "It is a honour to have been involved in the launch of these fantastic stamps depicting such important members of the scientific community. Our staff is dedicated to science education in all its forms and we hope that our visitors leave Magna with a better understanding of the principles which many of the Royal Society Scientists sought to reveal."

The stamps are available now. Click here to buy them.