Kafka’s novel Metamorphosis is about a man who becomes an insect. Children who can imagine themselves as bacteria and summarise their life in a cartoon can win up to pound;400 of science equipment for their school. The Institute of Animal Health is running the competition, A Day in the Life of Bacteria. Children might want to empathise with various kinds of streptococci, which can cause sore throats or meningitis or help in the making of yoghurt, or they might prefer to become a slim and curvy lactobacillus and describe their habitat - a human intestine. The closing date is February 28 next year, and there are prizes for key stage 2 and 3. Information and supporting materials can be found at the IAH website: www.iah.bbsrc.ac.ukiah_education