A Catalyst article about Darwin's beetle collection - an early step in his scientific career. Beetle-collecting was something of a craze in the early 19th century; at the same time, scientific understanding of these creatures grew rapidly. The well illustrated article looks at Darwin's work in this field.

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A Catalyst article looking at how research using animals causes heated debate. New drugs must be safety tested on two species of animals, the article looks at how many experiments use animals and how they are regulated, scientific procedures and genetically modified animals.

This article is from Catalyst:...

This Catalyst article describes how bacterial colonies produce antibiotics and explains how their growth depends on the medium they grow on. Over sixty years ago, a Russian soil scientist called Selman Waksman discovered that soil bacteria belonging to the Streptomyces genus produce some very useful...

This Catalyst article explains how artificial photosynthesis could provide a useful energy supply and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Experiments are underway in labs around the world. The aim is to use the basis of Photosynthesis to recycle the huge amounts of Carbon Dioxide being emitted...

The report from the Children’s Learning in Science Project (CLIS) gives an account of a number of aspects of students’ understanding of plant nutrition including:
*To what extent do students understand that plants carry out autotrophic nutrition and not...

A Catalyst article about biologists looking for patterns in the distribution of barnacle species on the sea shore. Barnacles are arthropods which live as tiny larvae in the sea and then cement themselves, head down, on suitable rocks, build a shell, poke their legs out of the top of it and start to filter feed. The...

A Catalyst article about Darwin's travels on the Beagle which gave him ideas about evolution. Darwin spent almost five years on board HMS Beagle as it sailed around the world. The purpose of the voyage was to map navigation channels around the coast of South America. Darwin was the ship’s naturalist and companion...

A Catalyst article describing how glow worms and other insects emit light by bioluminescence. All over the world, on land and in the sea, living things have been making light for millions of years. From the glow of the sea on a dark night due to myriads of phytoplankton, to the dance of the male fireflies trying to...

This Catalyst article explains how chemists build molecular 'traps' to mimic the surface of a cell. To scientists, sugar is much more than a food; sugar molecules can also form polymers which act as ‘molecular bar codes’ to help cells recognise each other. The article describes how chemists made a synthetic...

A Catalyst article explaining how scientists with qualifications in ecology and environmental science play an increasingly important role in assessing the human impact on the Earth. Ecology is the branch of biology that looks at how organisms, plants and animals, depend on each other and their surroundings. It also...

From The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), this information booklet is useful for those wishing to develop successful partnerships between schools and local science-based industries. It is a collection of papers that describe how different groups have encountered and handled major issues and...

This Catalyst article looks at the celebrations surrounding the life and work of Charles Darwin. Darwin was born 200 years ago and the article looks at some of the activities surrounding the bicentenary and examines his work.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2009, Volume 19, Issue 4.

This Catalyst article explains the code structure of DNA and looks into how it is copied across generations.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1.

Catalyst is a science magazine for students...

A Catalyst article about the working life of Dr Gillian Lockwood, a reproductive biologist who specialises in IVF. The article looks at the ethical issues surrounding fertility treatments for problems such as polycystic ovary syndrome.

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

A Catalyst article about preventing drink driving. Since 1980, the UK's government estimates it has saved over 20,000 lives by its campaign to reduce drink driving. The article looks at how this result is achieved and how the body copes with alcohol and how it breaks alcohol down.

This article is from...