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 is a classroom-based activity from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute that allows students to explore the features of two bacterial pathogen genomes. The aim of this activity is to highlight the role of different genetic components in two closely related subspecies of Salmonella enterica, and to identify how...

From the Wellcome Trust, these animations illustrate the life cycle of the protozoan parasite that causes Chagas' Disease.

The parasites use a blood-sucking insect called a triatomine as an incubator and vector. The...

This resource pack from Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) focuses on the role of judgment in animal behaviour studies. It consists of:

*background information for teachers

* images of Canada goose goslings at various stages of development and images of seven of the behaviours of...

Produced by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, this resource contains an overview of the techniques involved in making a BAC (Bacterial Artificial Chromosome) library. It consists of an animation that covers the key stages in the process:

From the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, this animation shows a detailed overview of the processes involved in the dideoxy or Sanger method for sequencing DNA. This is the method used to sequence the human genome. The animation demonstrates the principles and techniques involved in the Sanger sequencing method,...

This animation, from the Wellcome Trust, illustrates how the DNA code is used to build protein molecules inside our cells.

It shows how, during the process of transcription, polymerase unzips the DNA and uses it as a...

Produced by the Wellcome Trust, these animations take a detailed look at the molecular mechanisms that allow the dengue virus to subvert the cells of its mammalian host, allowing it to replicate and spread. Dengue is an example of an RNA virus.

From the ABPI this interactive resource provides students with information on the cause, symptoms and treatment of diabetes. The resource is offered at two levels, for students aged 14-16 and an advanced version for post-16 students.

Please note: From 2021, Adobe has discontinued support for Flash player...

Produced by the Wellcome Trust, this issue of the Big Picture looks at the physiology and sociology of exercise and movement.

For humans, movement is for more than just basic survival. They move for fun, to compete and to be healthy. This resource looks at the biological systems that keep humans moving and...

Produced by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, this animation gives an overview of the process of protein synthesis and how DNA codes for proteins. It covers the major stages of the process starting with where DNA is found in the cell and how its information is transcribed into mRNA. It then follows through the...

This animation, from the Wellcome Trust, shows how the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects white blood cells and uses its RNA to produce a strand of DNA which becomes integrated in the host cell's genome.

HIV...

This animation shows how bacteria exchange genes on small pieces of DNA called plasmids through a process called horizontal gene transfer. 

Bacteria are able to exchange genes quickly within a population on small circles of DNA called plasmids. This animation shows how bacteria exchange plasmids through a...

From the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, this resource introduces the Human Genome Project (HGP).

A short animation gives:

* an introduction to DNA and genomes;

* an overview of which countries were involved in the international Human Genome Project;

* a description of the processes,...

This resource is based around the chemical composition of the human body and the origin of elements in the universe. Students can input a mass in the spreadsheet to see what proportion of their mass is from elements created in the Big Bang, in stars and in supernovae. Graphs are also shown for the relative...