This Catalyst article explains how in nature, bioamplification causes substances to become more concentrated as they move from eater to eaten along a food chain. This sequence occurs in relation to the concentration of pesticides like DDT along a food chain, and causes problems for those animals, like birds of prey...

This Catalyst article looks at a newspaper report, which carried the headline “It’s life, but not as we know it”, following NASA’s supposed discovery of a ‘second form of life’. The scientific paper, published by the eminent journal Science, even created widespread speculation about the existence of extra-...

A Catalyst article about John Snow who discovered the cause of cholera, how it spreads and how to avoid it. Snow's work is what is now referred to as epidemiology and his persistent investigative work and resulting publications resulted in health authorities using his findings.

This article is from Catalyst...

A Catalyst article about homeostasis describing how the process enables birds and mammals to be active on cold days when other species are not.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2004, Volume 14, Issue 3.

Catalyst is...

A Catalyst article discussing how the human body has to handle all sorts of variations, balancing its inputs and outputs, if it is to work efficiently. The article concentrates on one organ, the kidney, and the way it helps to keep things on an even keel through the functions of homeostasis and excretion. What...

This document presents the recommendations and research findings of a report from the Wellcome Trust, published in 2004.

The purpose of the research was to investigate:
• the response of students and teachers to biology A level courses
• factors which made biology a popular option at AS and A...

A Catalyst article describing how a decaying log is used by many different invertebrates and vertebrates. The damp environment is suitable for many species. This well illustrated article looks at some of them.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2011, Volume 21, Issue 3.

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Publishedin 2009 by LSIS, this report describes research undertaken by Newham Sixth Form College. The project aimed to produce a set of strategies and resources in order to develop the literacy of science students to enable them to achieve in A - level Biology. A high proportion of students come from families in...

A Catalyst article looking at how to measure parts of carbon cycling as it happens in forests. Two of the processes used, flux towers and soil chambers, are described.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2007, Volume 17, Issue 4.

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In this Catalyst article scientists investigate the basis of memory using lab animals; this can lead to insights into human memory, and treatments for people suffering deteriorating memory.

The article focuses on two aspects of memory:

*the hippocampus, the part of the brain belonging to the limbic...

A Catalyst article looking at how modern archaeology uses analytical chemical techniques to answer questions about ancient civilisations and animals. Scientists working at the University of Bristol match compounds present in archaeological materials to those in modern plants and animals which were likely to have...

This Catalyst article looks at the work of field ecologists, discussing how ecological studies require the gathering and processing of large amounts of data. This article looks at how ant populations are studied in the field and how their study can produce information about the way living organisms exist in the...

A Catalyst article about oxygen and how it is essential for most respiration, which goes on all the time in all live cells all living organisms. The article looks at how organisms get the oxygen they need from their surroundings and how it reaches cells. It also explores how oxygen transport is monitored, which of...

This Catalyst article looks at the process of photosynthesis, by which plants make a range of biochemical compounds. The article explains how photosynthesis actually ties in with growth. Respiration is happening all the time in all cells in all living organisms. Taken on its own, photosynthesis adds materials to...

A Catalyst article about phytoplasmas which are micro-organisms that affect crop plants modifying their growth. The article looks at the damage that they can inflict on crops which in turn can cause famine. Botanists are seeking to counter the effects of phytoplasma disease and the article looks at laboratory...