And this Thursday, another Welshman, the leading geneticist Professor Steve Jones, from Aberystwyth, will speak about his life and legacy at a sold-out lecture at the Natural History Museum in London.

Professor Jones, who is Emeritus Professor of Genetics at University College, London, has just finished a book, The Serpent's Promise (Little, Brown), which aims to rewrite the Bible as a scientific text.

He told me that his lecture will explore Wallace's interest in spirituality and the dilemmas raised by his theories on natural selection.

Wallace was certain that Homo sapiens had "something which he has not derived from his animal progenitors - a spiritual essence or nature... (that) can only find an explanation in the unseen universe of Spirit" – a theory which prompted criticism from Darwin.

Professor Jones said: "Wallace was sure that humans had something called a spirit which was not part of their biology.

"This was something Darwin most emphatically hated any insinuation of and Wallace rather fell out with Darwin over it.

"My lecture will surmise that this spirit he was looking for was actually the application of language and this is what has made humans unique.

"Unlike Wallace thought, you don't need something magical to explain what makes us unique."

Evolving languages

The lecture will draw on Wallace's own fascination with the evolution of language and his much-mocked theories that many words in language emerged from chimpanzees and how they communicated with one another.

"Wallace came up with the idea that certain words had actually evolved to go with the concepts they describe, so words in languages like English, French and Malay that signify 'away' are open-mouthed long words, whereas 'come' is signified by short, closed words.

"He was actually such a polymath and man of many talents whereas Darwin wasn't.

"Darwin knew biology but simply did not have that enormous sweep of landscape type of mind that Wallace did, so to me Wallace was far more interesting."

Professor Jones will also examine how the questions raised by Wallace’s theories sit with science today and current religious precepts.

The lecture, entitled Wallace and the Joy of Sects, will also make reference to Professor Jones' book and the way in which the Bible itself acts as a textbook, attempting to find answers for humanity.

"In objective terms we can now say that many of these answers are wrong - science has proved that the world is more than 6,000 years old and Eve was not cloned from Adam's rib.

"The Bible is basically about sex and this begins with the Serpent's Promise and the idea of Original Sin, which is actually genetics by a different name.

"People do have different genes which pre-dispose them to criminality, unhappiness and different personality attributes, but when we use this information in social terms there is no consistency.

"We know men murder at 10 times the rate of women and commit all victim-directed crimes at a greater rate, but in the courts men are punished more for these crimes than women, despite their genetic pre-disposition to criminality.

"The moral issues remain unresolved in the Bible but science tells us what to do about these moral, ethical and spiritual questions."

Restoring a reputation

Professor Jones believes Wallace did lose credibility in his lifetime because of his interest in spirituality, at a time when his peers, like Darwin and Thomas Henry Huxley, deplored such beliefs.

But he feels that if Wallace were alive today, he would still be up there with the greats.

"It is probably Wallace we should thank for On the Origin of Species, because he inspired Darwin to publish.

"Darwin was painstakingly gathering evidence to support his ideas and in the process had written four books on barnacles.

"If Wallace had never written to him, Darwin would never have got around to it and would probably have spent about 40 years looking for further proof!"

The lecture is part of a series being held by the museum to mark the centenary of Wallace's death.

Last month it was announced that letters written by Wallace, including his full correspondence with Darwin, are to go online for the first time.

Events will be taking place throughout the year at various venues to publicise the anniversary.

Professor Jones' lecture takes place at 5pm on Thursday, 7 February, in the Natural History Museum's Flett Lecture Theatre.

With the help of the Alzheimer’s Society an expert team of carers was put in place and Tŷ Hapus welcomed its first guests at the start of 2012. Providing respite care and activities for up to five days a week, it is a ground-breaking concept.

Funded entirely by charitable donations, Tŷ Hapus has proved an absolute lifeline for families struggling to cope with the devastating impact of early-onset dementia. And sadly there is nothing else like it in Wales and the rest of the UK. There must be so many families desperate for similar facilities.

As I visited Tŷ Hapus to gather interviews for the series, I was deeply moved by the warmth of its atmosphere and the remarkable bond between carers and guests. Support worker Alison Thomas explained why the connection was so strong: “We’re all the same generation so we relate to what the guests are going through so much.”

Remarkable breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s research

Just a few miles away the quest to find a cure for Alzheimer’s continues. Professor Julie Williams and her team at Cardiff University are at the forefront of global Alzheimer’s research. They collaborate with scientists across the world. And with a database of 100,000 dementia case studies to draw on they’ve made some remarkable breakthroughs.

In the series Julie explains how they have identified 20 genes which make us more susceptible to the disease:

“There are new ways of looking at the disease and new avenues for treatment. If I can see just one treatment come out in my lifetime I’ll be very happy,” says the Merthyr-born scientist, who is also a patron of Tŷ Hapus.

Julie and Justine just happen to be good friends - Julie’s husband is head of communications for the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) while Justine is married to WRU chairman and former Wales captain David Pickering. Their involvement with Alzheimer’s has brought them even closer. Together these two Welsh women are making a significant impact on a disease that is expected to affect one million people in the UK in less than 10 years.

As Julie concentrates on a cure, Justine aims to improve how we care for younger people with Alzheimer’s. Her dream is to see a concept she created to help her mother Annie benefit thousands of people with early-onset dementia across Britain.

“The Alzheimer’s Society has said they’d like to use Tŷ Hapus as a model for the rest of the UK,” says Justine. “I really hope it can happen. There is a desperate need for age-appropriate, dignified, loving, stimulating projects like Tŷ Hapus all over the country. It doesn’t take too much to do and it just gives so much back.”

The Story of Tŷ Hapus is produced by Carolyn Hitt and is a Presentable production for BBC Radio Wales. The first programme is available on the BBC iPlayer.

Programme two, which features a visit to Tŷ Hapus by Sir Graham Henry is broadcast on Sunday 3 February 2013 at 5.30pm on BBC Radio Wales.

Techniquest is keen for children to engage with science

Techniquest, the brainchild of Professor John Beetlestone and several other colleagues on the staff of Cardiff University, was founded in 1985. Wales, and Cardiff in particular, had always had its fair share of museums and art galleries, but an establishment specialising in science was something different.

From the beginning Techniquest had the avowed intention of helping people from all walks of life - adults and, in particular, children - to engage with science and not view it as something alien or outside their knowledge and area of interest.

Never intended to be a series of static exhibits in glass cases, this was to be a hands-on experience. The interactive exhibits and science programmes were meant to appeal to both eye and instinct, and to draw people into an exciting and innovative world.

Techniquest was originally located in the centre of Cardiff

The original site for Techniquest was in the centre of Cardiff, in the old gas showrooms opposite Cardiff Castle. This was only intended as a temporary home and in 1988, three years after its founding, Techniquest moved to Cardiff Bay. This new site was a prefabricated industrial complex and soon over 100 exhibits were open to the public. From this base Techniquest also began its programme of educational visits for schools.

In 1988 Techniquest moved to Cardiff Bay

In 1995 the centre was again on the move, this time locating to its present site. The firm of ABK Architects designed Techniquest around the core of an old heavy engineering factory and the first purpose-built science centre in the UK began its work in earnest. As well as offering a wide range of exhibits and experiences at its Cardiff base, Techniquest gradually developed and now also offers exhibits and science programmes to museums and visitor attractions around the world.

Princess Diana and Princes William and Harry visited Techniquest in 1994.

It is estimated that over 200,000 people visit Techniquest every year - and that's not counting the Wrexham branch of the enterprise.

The hands-on, interactive nature of the centre provides a perfect learning environment for children and adults alike, so much so that in 1999 Techniquest exhibits were awarded Millennium Product Status by the Design Council of the UK. The centre also offers a planetarium and a science theatre for use by children during the school holidays.

Wales has always had strong links with the field of science, breeding men such as the meteorologist Inigo Jones who emigrated to Australia in 1874 and became interested in the weather while working on the family farm in North Queensland.

There are so many others, men like Evan Pierce, the doctor who fought a cholera outbreak in Denbigh and became medical advisor to Queen Victoria. Then there was Alfred Wallace, born in Usk. He was a contemporary of Charles Darwin and was actually acknowledged by Darwin as the co-founder of the theory of natural selection. Robert Recorde is well known and highly regarded as a mathematician, a man from humble beginnings in Tenby who published the first English language book on algebra and is now recognised as the man who invented the equals sign.

In more modern times Dr Lyn Evans, born in Aberdare, recently became the leader of the Large Hadron Collider at Cern. Built by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, the collider lies beneath the French-Swiss border, its aim being to simulate and recreate the conditions that existed one fraction of a second after the "big bang" that brought life to the planet.

Other Welsh scientists of note include people such as Sir Granville Beynon, operating in the field of physics of the ionosphere, Professor Diane Edwards (the investigation of fossil plants) and Dr Pam Lewis (nuclear magnetic resonance). There are many, many more.

Techniquest, with its innovative and exhilarating approach to a subject that might otherwise appeal only to a limited few, has undoubtedly stimulated an interest right across the country. Twenty five years have been well spent - here's to the next!

Keep up to date with all the latest news and events celebrating 25 years of Techniquest on their special anniversary website.

Take a look at our Techniquest gallery on the BBC Wales website.

Queen Elizabeth I believed in John Dee's magical powers

A mathematician and teacher of navigation, an astrologer and astronomer, an alchemist and, by all accounts, a magician too, John Dee occupies that mysterious middle ground between science and folklore.

He sits, a fascinating figure, somewhere between the canting spells of Macbeth's witches and the wonderful discoveries made during the 16th century's voyages of exploration.

Born in London on 13 July 1527, both of Dee's parents were Welsh - the family name derives from the Welsh word du, meaning black - but, as with many ambitious young men, from an early age his eyes were set on London and the court.

Educated at St John's College, Cambridge, he was later a Founding Fellow at Trinity College and quickly became renowned in the fields of mathematics and navigation.

While still in his twenties Dee was invited to lecture on algebra at the University in Paris and, as a young man, he traveled widely on the continent.

Perhaps it was this period of travel, combined with his love of mathematics, that led him to the art of navigation.

As his reputation grew, many of the sea rovers and explorers, men who were beginning to carve out new territories and lands for Elizabeth and England, came to him for advice and instruction.

Dee had a practical side to his nature and as well as being the first person to apply Euclidian geometry to navigation, he also contrived to build many of the instruments the early navigators needed on their journeys.

There are those who believe John Dee was also the first man to use the term 'British Empire.' He certainly had a vision and a dream of creating a standing British navy and of establishing a realm of interest and power for Britain - England would probably be a more accurate word - that stretched right across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World.

John Dee continued to travel widely for most of his life. From 1553 to 1559 he roamed central Europe and later journeyed to Hungary to present the Holy Roman Emperor with a copy of his book Hones Hieroglyphia.

His life was not without troubles, however. In 1555 he was charged with 'calculating' - casting horoscopes for both Queen Mary and for Princess Elizabeth. This charge was quickly increased to one of treason and for a while his life was in serious jeopardy.

He appeared before the Court of Star Chamber but, with some brilliance, he managed to exonerate himself. Despite this he was, thereafter, subjected to regular abuse and accusation - powered, undoubtedly, by fear and jealousy - and, as a result, he developed a lifelong penchant for secrecy.

When Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth she offered Dee a considerable amount of patronage. Quite apart from his skill in navigation, the queen believed in his magical powers and consulted him on a regular basis.

He chose her coronation date and even cast a spell on the Spanish Armada in 1588 - presumably the Queen was suitably grateful. He continued to advise both her and her influential ministers including Walsingham and Cecil.

Always hovering, perhaps uneasily, in the area between science and magic - a phenomenon of the age as much as anything else - John Dee spent the last 20 or 30 years of his life trying to communicate with angels.

What he was doing was, in fact, searching for divine forms. He believed in them implicitly - along with many other men and women of his age - and he was even to claim that angels had dictated several of his books.

In 1595 Queen Elizabeth appointed Dee to the position of Warden of Christ's Hospital College in Manchester. It was almost the last act of patronage before Elizabeth died a few years later.

Her successor, James I, had little or no time for magic or superstition and Dee declined in influence from that point onwards. He spent the final years of his life in poverty, dying in either 1608 or 1609 - the date is unclear.

He was buried in Mortlake but his gravestone has since disappeared and it is not possible to verify the exact date of his death. He was 82 years old, a considerable age for the 16th and 17th centuries.

John Dee was married twice and had eight children. He was a writer of considerable skill but, despite his interest in magic and his influence over the Queen, it is as a mathematician and teacher of navigation that his legacy really lies - yet another remarkable Welshman who influenced a whole generation.

Mould growing on a petri dish

Merlin Pryce drew the attention of Fleming to the petri dish, noting that no bacteria surrounded the mould. Something, as yet unknown, in the dead cells that lay apart from the mould had caused the bacteria to die. The rest, as they say, is history.

But one thing is sure - if Merlin Pryce had not noticed the mould and drawn it to the attention of Alexander Fleming penicillin would not have been discovered for several years and, quite possibly, would not have been available for the treatment of wounded soldiers during World War Two.

While it is clear that the discovery of penicillin owes much to the work of other men - notably Florey and Chain who were responsible for developing the antibiotic and bringing penicillin to the hospital ward - Merlin Pryce, from the very beginning, played down his part in the affair. He was a modest man who insisted that credit for the discovery should rest solely with Fleming.

Born at Troed-y-Rhiw in Merthyr, Merlin Pryce was educated at Pontypridd Boys Grammar School before moving on to the Welsh National School of Medicine when he was just 17 years old. He then left Wales to study at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London and in 1927 was appointed to a Junior Research Scholarship under Fleming.

In the years to come Merlin Pryce enjoyed a successful and distinguished career in medicine, remaining devoted to St Mary's all his life. He became, after the war, first Reader and then Chair of Pathology at the hospital. He retained his affection for and relationship with Fleming right to the end, always maintaining that Sir Alexander was rightly honoured as the man who discovered penicillin.

Only twice did he ever break that stance - once, many years later, at an after dinner speech to the West Kent Pharmaceutical Society and, for a second time, in an aside to Fleming's widow. After a joint interview with himself and Lady Fleming by André Maurois, Fleming's first biographer, she hissed at Pryce, "Anybody would think you discovered the mould." Pryce's response was a simple statement that summed up everything: "But I did."

At this distance - and without written evidence - it is hard to deduce quite why Merlin Pryce should actively seek to play down his part in the discovery. He was, undoubtedly, a modest man and his devotion to St Mary's (as well as his relationship with Fleming) are perhaps indicators of the reasons for his stance. He would do nothing that would damage the reputation of either.

Merlin Pryce died on 8 February 1976, his reputation as a doctor and as a teacher unblemished. He could have been remembered for much, much more - if he had had the inclination to tell the world about the part he played in one of the most significant discoveries of the 20th century.

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