Latest news with #Turing
AU Financial Review
3 days ago
- Science
- AU Financial Review
Alan Turing built AI to save lives. Now we're regulating it to death
In the early 1940s Alan Turing, based in Bletchley Park in England, was tasked with breaking the Enigma code, used by the German navy to locate their submarine fleet. Turing conceded that the finest human brain could not break the daily resets of the code in less than 20 years – a far cry from the urgent needs of the British armed forces that it be broken in less than 24 hours. So Turing created the first model of a general-purpose computer – Turing is widely considered to be the father of theoretical computer science – to overcome the limitations of the human brain to perform a vital task.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mirror
Codebreaker's WW2 papers sell for ‘record' £465K after almost being shredded
Papers belonging to mathematician Alan Turing - who created machines that helped to crack Adolf Hitler's enigma code - have been sold for a record breaking £465,000 at auction Papers belonging to World War Two codebreaker Alan Turing have sold for a record-breaking £465,400 at auction. The mathematician's paper archive - which narrowly escaped being shredded - include a signed version of what is widely known as the first computer programming guide, a personal copy of his 1939 PhD dissertation. Turing's mother Ethel originally gifted the archive to his pal, mathematician Norman Routledge - who kept them until his death. After he passed away the papers, which included letters from Passage to India author, EM Forster, were taken to the loft of a relative in Bermondsey, south London. Previously, one of the author's nieces said: 'When (Routledge) died in 2013, two of his sisters had the unenviable task of sorting through and emptying the contents. 'There were lots of personal papers which one sister carted away and stored in her loft. The papers lay dormant until she moved into a care home almost a decade later. 'Her daughters came across the papers and considered shredding everything. Fortunately, they checked with Norman's nieces and nephews because he'd always been a presence in our lives.' Initially, auctioneers believed the lots would only earn a top price of £60,000 . However, auctioneers at Hansons said one part of the dissertation, On Computable Numbers, sold for £208,000 alone. Meanwhile, Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals added another £110,500. Bids came from people on the phone, online and in person when the lot started at Rare Book Auctions, part of Hansons, in Lichfield, Staffordshire. Turing's first published paper, which comprises of a single sheet, sold for £7,800. It was also gifted to Routledge, and includes a handwritten letter from Turing's mother dated May 16, 1956. The letter, which was attached to the Equivalence of Left And Right Almost Periodcity, reads: 'I have to-day sent by registered post 13 of Alan's off-prints … I have had some requests to write a biography of Alan … I have masses of material because from the time he was about 6 I spotted a winner – despite many detractors at school – and kept many papers about him.' Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, said: 'Nothing could've prepared me for what I found in that carrier bag. 'These plain, academic papers were absolutely electrifying – they are the very bedrock of modern computing. Handling them was both humbling and haunting. 'Knowing the tragic arc of Turing's life only adds to the emotional weight. He was treated appallingly despite all he had done and yet, here, his ideas remain alive, relevant, and revolutionary.' Mr Spencer added: 'This was the most important archive I've ever handled. The papers came within inches of being destroyed, and instead they've captured the world 's imagination. 'It's a once-in-a-lifetime discovery – not just for collectors, but for the sake of preserving the story of one of the greatest minds in history.'
Euronews
4 days ago
- Science
- Euronews
Rare papers of World War II hero Alan Turing sell for record price
A collection of rare scientific papers written by mathematician, computer scientist and Second World War codebreaker Alan Turing has sold for a record £465,400 (€544,400) at auction in Lichfield, UK. The documents were discovered in a loft at a property in Bermondsey, London, and were almost destroyed during a house clearance. Some of the rare items that went under the hammer included a personal signed copy of Turing's 1938 PhD dissertation, "Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals", which sold for £110,500 (€129,200), as well as his paper "On Computable Numbers" - also known as "Turing's Proof" - which introduced the world to the idea of a universal computing machine in 1936. The collection also included "The Chemical Basis Of Morphogenesis", which sold for £19,500 (€22,800). Dating from 1952, it is Turing's last major published work. The treasure trove of Turing material had originally been gifted to Turing's friend and fellow mathematician, Norman Routledge, by Turing's mother, Ethel. Routledge kept the papers and, on his death, they were taken to his sister's loft. Hansons Auctioneers had estimated the lots would sell for £40,000 to £60,000 each, but "On Computable Numbers" alone sold for £208,000 (€243,000). Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, said of the papers, which were brought to experts in a carrier bag: 'Nothing could've prepared me for what I found in that carrier bag. These plain, academic papers were absolutely electrifying – they are the very bedrock of modern computing. Handling them was both humbling and haunting.' He continued: 'Knowing the tragic arc of Turing's life only adds to the emotional weight. He was treated appallingly despite all he had done and yet, here, his ideas remain alive, relevant, and revolutionary.' Spencer added: 'This was the most important archive I've ever handled. The papers came within inches of being destroyed, and instead they've captured the world's imagination. It's a once-in-a-lifetime discovery – not just for collectors, but for the sake of preserving the story of one of the greatest minds in history.' Turing is widely regarded as the father of computing science and played a central role in breaking the Enigma code, used by the Nazis during the Second World War. After the war, he was convicted of being involved in homosexual acts and accepted a procedure commonly referred to as chemical castration as an alternative to prison. Truing took his own life on 7 June 1954, aged 41. Following a campaign in 2009, British prime minister Gordon Brown made an official public apology for the 'appalling way' Turing was treated after the war. Queen Elizabeth II granted a pardon in 2013. The "Alan Turing law' is a term used informally to refer to a 2017 law in the UK that retroactively pardoned men convicted under historical legislation that outlawed homosexual acts.
North Wales Chronicle
4 days ago
- Science
- North Wales Chronicle
Codebreaker Alan Turing's scientific papers sell for ‘record' £465,000
The archive of papers belonging to the mathematician, including a signed personal copy of his 1939 PhD dissertation, Systems Of Logic Based On Ordinals and On Computable Numbers from 1937, described as the first programming manual of the computer age, were sold on Tuesday, Hansons Auctioneers said. The archive, which sold for what is thought to be a record sum for such Turing material, had originally been gifted to Turing's friend and fellow mathematician, Norman Routledge, by Turing's mother, Ethel. The papers, known as 'offprints', were produced in small numbers and distributed within academia, making them rare survivors. Routledge kept the papers, which also included letters from the novelist EM Forster, and on his death they were taken to a relative's loft after his home in Bermondsey, London, was cleared out. One of Routledge's nieces previously said: 'When (Routledge) died in 2013, two of his sisters had the unenviable task of sorting through and emptying the contents. 'There were lots of personal papers which one sister carted away and stored in her loft. The papers lay dormant until she moved into a care home almost a decade later. 'Her daughters came across the papers and considered shredding everything. Fortunately, they checked with Norman's nieces and nephews because he'd always been a presence in our lives.' Auctioneers had estimated the lots would sell for £40,000 to £60,000 each, but On Computable Numbers alone sold for £208,000, Hansons said. Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals sold for another £110,500, with bidders on phones, online and in person at Rare Book Auctions, part of Hansons, in Lichfield, Staffordshire. The collection also included The Chemical Basis Of Morphogenesis, which sold for £19,500. Dating from 1952, it is Turing's lesser-known masterpiece of mathematical biology and his last major published work. Meanwhile, a single piece of paper which was Turing's first published paper in 1935, called Equivalence Of Left And Right Almost Periodicity, sold for £7,800. It was also gifted to Routledge by Turing's mother and her handwritten letter dated May 16 1956 was included. The letter reads: 'I have to-day sent by registered post 13 of Alan's off-prints … I have had some requests to write a biography of Alan … I have masses of material because from the time he was about 6 I spotted a winner – despite many detractors at school – and kept many papers about him.' Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, said of the papers, which were brought to experts in a carrier bag: 'Nothing could've prepared me for what I found in that carrier bag. 'These plain, academic papers were absolutely electrifying – they are the very bedrock of modern computing. Handling them was both humbling and haunting. 'Knowing the tragic arc of Turing's life only adds to the emotional weight. He was treated appallingly despite all he had done and yet, here, his ideas remain alive, relevant, and revolutionary.' Mr Spencer added: 'This was the most important archive I've ever handled. The papers came within inches of being destroyed, and instead they've captured the world's imagination. 'It's a once-in-a-lifetime discovery – not just for collectors, but for the sake of preserving the story of one of the greatest minds in history.' Turing, who is widely regarded as the father of computing science, played a central role in breaking the Enigma code, used by the Nazis during the Second World War. After the war, he was convicted of being involved in homosexual acts and took his own life in 1954, aged 41.
Powys County Times
4 days ago
- Science
- Powys County Times
Codebreaker Alan Turing's scientific papers sell for ‘record' £465,000
Scientific papers belonging to the Second World War codebreaker and computing pioneer Alan Turing which were nearly shredded after being discovered in a loft have sold for a total of £465,400 at auction. The archive of papers belonging to the mathematician, including a signed personal copy of his 1939 PhD dissertation, Systems Of Logic Based On Ordinals and On Computable Numbers from 1937, described as the first programming manual of the computer age, were sold on Tuesday, Hansons Auctioneers said. The archive, which sold for what is thought to be a record sum for such Turing material, had originally been gifted to Turing's friend and fellow mathematician, Norman Routledge, by Turing's mother, Ethel. The papers, known as 'offprints', were produced in small numbers and distributed within academia, making them rare survivors. Routledge kept the papers, which also included letters from the novelist EM Forster, and on his death they were taken to a relative's loft after his home in Bermondsey, London, was cleared out. One of Routledge's nieces previously said: 'When (Routledge) died in 2013, two of his sisters had the unenviable task of sorting through and emptying the contents. 'There were lots of personal papers which one sister carted away and stored in her loft. The papers lay dormant until she moved into a care home almost a decade later. 'Her daughters came across the papers and considered shredding everything. Fortunately, they checked with Norman's nieces and nephews because he'd always been a presence in our lives.' Auctioneers had estimated the lots would sell for £40,000 to £60,000 each, but On Computable Numbers alone sold for £208,000, Hansons said. Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals sold for another £110,500, with bidders on phones, online and in person at Rare Book Auctions, part of Hansons, in Lichfield, Staffordshire. The collection also included The Chemical Basis Of Morphogenesis, which sold for £19,500. Dating from 1952, it is Turing's lesser-known masterpiece of mathematical biology and his last major published work. Meanwhile, a single piece of paper which was Turing's first published paper in 1935, called Equivalence Of Left And Right Almost Periodicity, sold for £7,800. It was also gifted to Routledge by Turing's mother and her handwritten letter dated May 16 1956 was included. The letter reads: 'I have to-day sent by registered post 13 of Alan's off-prints … I have had some requests to write a biography of Alan … I have masses of material because from the time he was about 6 I spotted a winner – despite many detractors at school – and kept many papers about him.' Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, said of the papers, which were brought to experts in a carrier bag: 'Nothing could've prepared me for what I found in that carrier bag. 'These plain, academic papers were absolutely electrifying – they are the very bedrock of modern computing. Handling them was both humbling and haunting. 'Knowing the tragic arc of Turing's life only adds to the emotional weight. He was treated appallingly despite all he had done and yet, here, his ideas remain alive, relevant, and revolutionary.' Mr Spencer added: 'This was the most important archive I've ever handled. The papers came within inches of being destroyed, and instead they've captured the world's imagination. 'It's a once-in-a-lifetime discovery – not just for collectors, but for the sake of preserving the story of one of the greatest minds in history.' Turing, who is widely regarded as the father of computing science, played a central role in breaking the Enigma code, used by the Nazis during the Second World War.
