A podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). As the map of Earth's gravity – as revealed by the European Space Agency's (ESA) sleek GOCE satellite – comes into sharper focus, Richard Hollingham speaks to a researcher who tells us what early results from the...

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...

Produced by the Learning Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), this case study tackles the themes of progression through STEM and assessment for learning in A2 biology. By SRC Bede Sixth Form College, it describes how the following were investigated:
* Learners’ perceptions of the effectiveness of comment-only...

The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) supports research and education about animal behaviour. It provides support to teachers in schools and colleges in teaching animal behaviour, from primary schools to sixth forms. In addition they provide general advice on behavioural methods, statistics,...

Dr Claire Cousins and Mark Fox-Powell explain how scientists look at life that exists in extreme environments on Earth, to see what kind of life scientists might see on the surface of Mars.  This knowledge helps scientists plan the best target for a rover.

Professor Cockell takes us through the astrobiology...

The search for life on other worlds is one of the most fascinating contexts that science lessons can have. In this guide, several of the resources focus on practical experiments or investigations that link astrobiology to the science curriculum. In all cases, regular scientific concepts such as factors affecting...

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has produced a set of resources presenting work-related learning in the context of how science is used in the pharmaceutical industry. It has a wealth of information about 'how science works' to support GCSE and A level science and applied science...

Astrobiologist Dr. Lewis Dartnell talks from the Atacama Desert about a research trip to find extremophiles that might give scientists some clues as to the kind of life that may exist on the surface of Mars.  Lewis shows how quartz can act as a natural sunscreen to enable cyanobacteria to grow in the dry desert...

A collection of ten videos describing Aurora's mission to Mars. The topics covered in the films include:

• Why we explore: the film explains the...

Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this investigation looks at the autolysis, or cell death, of yeast. This is important, as many food production processes require the living yeast to be killed.

In...

The output from an automated DNA sequencing robot used by the Human Genome Project to determine the complete human DNA sequence. Each peak shows the presence of a particular base. The sequence of bases in a given stretch of DNA can therefore be read from the order of the peaks along the trace. The sequences of...

Dr. Mark Woods explains how the rover technologies must be partly autonomous, since the signals from Earth to Mars take too long for every command to be send from Earth.  The technologies developed for space, also have applications on Earth.

This video is part of a series of ten which look at the one of the...

This Catalyst article presents the work of three chemists - Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel - who won the 2013 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Their work allowed the development of complex computer models of compounds and reactions.

The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014,...

Birmingham Institute for Forest Research (BIFoR) has provided a free online learning platform for schools which includes curriculum linked activities, developed to support secondary school students. These activities provide the opportunity for students to join a growing community of citizen scientists who are...

This film tells the story of how DNA sequencing was used to identify the gene BRAF. Clinical researcher Ultan McDermott tells the story of how scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute discovered a specific mutation in the BRAF gene, which is found in around half of malignant melanoma cases. He...