This issue of the Big Picture, from the Wellcome Trust, looks inside the cells that make up every part of the human body. Focussing on animal cells, the articles are suitable for post-16 students or as an extension for 14-16 students. The topics covered include: * What are cells for? * What are the structures of...

Each individual blade of grass consists of various tissues, each made of cells in their thousands. In these cells an as yet unknown number of reactions and interactions are constantly taking place. The cells contain different parts known as organelles, which can be thought of as the cellular equivalent of the...

This Catalyst article describes how biophysics is helping in the search for novel antibiotics. Bacteria produce an array of proteins to kill off their competitors. These proteins, called bacteriocins, are very efficient at penetrating the defensive outer layers of bacteria cells by moving through specific membrane...

The human population of Earth has reached seven billion. This Catalyst article explores the impact that human activity may have on the planet. The article looks at the rate of population growth and how human impact is also related on the amount of resources used by an individual. It considers if the effects of...

Published by the Wellcome Trust, this issue explores the biological basis of sex differences and the relationship between sex and gender.

...

Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, this activity gives students the opportunity to practise quickly skim-reading a text to assess its usefulness.

A guided activity asks students to quickly browse through a scientific article and extract information such as its title, author and the subject of...

These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, help students to look at a text, after an initial skim read, to judge if it is worth considering in more detail.

This ‘second glance’ activity serves several aims:
* It enables students to assess quickly what is the subject of the...

Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, this activity helps students to consider how useful and informative article titles are.

During the activity, students:
* browse a scientific article.
* look for information such as the author, publication date and content of the abstract.
*...

These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, help students to identify different sections in scientific texts which help to create an order and logical progression of the information conveyed. It encourages students to look at how the information is split into several principal types and...

Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, this activity helps students to further examine scientific texts.

Texts can be characterised according to the type of information or knowledge they deal with. There are different kinds of texts and they can be classified and sorted in various ways. This...

These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, help students to consider the best way to write an abstract or a short summary.

The activity is a useful learning tool as it enables students to:
* organise learning materials and texts.
* understand and remember information....

Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, in this activity students examine a scientific article and answer questions which encourage them to consider:

* What is the main subject?
* Who are the researchers?
* Why is the study interesting and important?
* What questions does it...

These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, help students to look at the structure of a scientific research paper.

The materials contain two activities. Each relates to a scientific paper that is provided in separate sections. Students are presented with the different sections of the...

These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, challenge students to write a scientific article.

Students are presented with a writing brief and guidelines which contain the required structure for their article. The activity could be extended into the production of a class newspaper...

These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, help students to make oral presentations.

Students are encouraged to prepare a short presentation and, in doing so, consider the following points:
* Who are the audience?
* What does their audience know about the subject of the...