The Royal Mail celebrates the 350th anniversary of the world's oldest science academy today by issuing 10 new stamps.

The first-class stamps commemorate some of science's most significant figures from the Royal Society.

The split-design stamps feature the luminaries' portraits paired with dramatic and colourful "brainstorming" imagery representing their achievements.

Royal Mail worked closely with experts from the Royal Society to select the 10 illustrious individuals.

They include Sir Isaac Newton and Edward Jenner, the pioneer of smallpox vaccination and regarded as the father of immunology.

The famous figures were selected from more than 1,400 Fellows and foreign members and more than 60 Nobel laureates.

Julietta Edgar, head of special stamps at Royal Mail, said: "For three-and-a-half centuries the Royal Society has maintained its position at the forefront of inquiry and discovery, and at the cutting edge of scientific progress.

"Now its hugely valuable role will be celebrated on millions of first-class letters across the UK and by collectors worldwide."

Martin Rees, president of the Royal Society, said: "These stamps commemorate some of the best-known Fellows of the Royal Society and their extraordinary achievements.

"As we celebrate our 350th year, we hope that they will generate a sense of excitement and pride in our scientific history, and strengthen our resolve to ensure that science yields new discoveries and benefits in the 21st century."