Reliance on unsafe drinking water is a significant problem in many areas of the world. This Catalyst article looks at the method of solar disinfection to provide safe drinking water.

UVA from the sun causes a breakdown in cellular functions, and combined with the increased temperature of the water from a...

In this Catalyst article, students at La Sainte Union Catholic School in North London investigate the link between lichen species and air pollution around their school.

Lichens are indicators of changes in air quality; tolerant species replace those which are sensitive to a given pollutant. This effect is...

A Catalyst article about the inner surface of lungs, which is coated with surfactant, allowing oxygen to enter the bloodstream. When babies are born very prematurely they can lack this surfactant, and this can make it very difficult for them to breathe. This is called Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS). This...

This Catalyst article investigates x-rays. X-rays are used in security scanning and medical diagnosis. Efforts are always being made to reduce the hazard of working with these electromagnetic rays.

The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014, Volume 25, Issue 2.

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A Catalyst article about the problems of badgers transmitting tuberculosis to cattle, but is a cull of badgers a solution to the problem? When cattle are found to be suffering from tuberculosis, a disease which can be passed onto humans, they are routinely slaughtered. It is known that badgers can transmit the...

This Catalyst article explores how microbes communicate and how, by growing two different microbes together, it is possible to discover new substances which may be useful in medicine. Microbial communication happens by small bioactive molecules which the cells release into and receive from the environment. In this...

This Catalyst article investigates teixobactin, which scientists are developing as a new approach to tackling bacterial diseases to overcome the problem of antibiotic resistance.

The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2015, Volume 26, Issue 1.

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This Catalyst article looks at how our knowledge of the human genome has increased greatly during the last 10 years, and genome sequencing techniques have become much faster. On 26th June 2000 it was announced that scientists had completed a first draft of the human genome, the DNA instructions for making a human...

Published by the Wellcome Trust, the ‘Big Picture’ explores issues around biology and medicine.​

This resource includes...

This Catalyst article investigates the Ebola outbreak. Defeating the outbreak of the viral disease Ebola in 2014-15 required great medical effort. Antidotes and vaccines are under development.

The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2015, Volume 26, Issue 1.

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A Catalyst article about deciding right from wrong in biology. Modern science raises many ethical questions. How these questions can be answered either ethically or by coming to a personal decision is discussed. How ethical frameworks can be used to address ethical questions is applied to the case of genetically...

This Catalyst article takes a look at the great variety of biology-related courses in universities. There are over 1,400 different university biology courses, choosing the right one for the individual student requires care. The article includes case studies about past students and the careers they have been able to...

There has been a great deal of research into footedness in football. However, careful observations of what players do on the pitch reveal that the elite football heroes are much more one-footed than it was previously assumed. David Carey of Bangor University looks into the issue.

The article is from Catalyst...

This Catalyst article details how the genome of a plant called Arabidopsis has been unravelled so that this species can act as a model in genetic studies. Arabidopsis thaliana is a model species like the fruit fly Drosophila, yeast, and the bacterium Escherichia coli.  Scientists...

This Catalyst article looks at sexual selection, a form of natural selection, and the role it plays in the evolution of many organisms. The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014, Volume 24, Issue 4.

Catalyst is a science...