From the National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC), these two podcasts explore a range of applications and issues in the biorenewables sector. They are primarily aimed at a commercial audience but may be of use to teachers who want to gain a better understanding of plant-derived materials or, when used in part, as...

Biotech, published by the Association for Science Education, was a set of teaching and learning activities devised by a team of advisers and teachers from three local authorities in the days of the ...

This poster illustrates how biotechnology is used to develop new medicines, grow new tissues and organs, and genetic testing.

This resource, from the Association for Science Education (ASE), provides two stimulating activities for students to explore protein electrophoresis: proteins in seeds and proteins in fish.

Proteins in seeds: A multicultural context - are there different proteins in different seeds such as lentils in dahl...

This collection of resources from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) contains materials for enhancing the teaching of biological science and 'how science works' in primary and secondary schools. BBSRC is one of seven Research Councils sponsored through the Department for Innovation,...

A cluster of practical activities for students to explore biotechnology involving viability of yeast, fruit juice production, milk products, fungal inhibition and microbial growth curves.

Those two simple, inexpensive, practical activities, from the Association for Science Education (ASE) explore cultivating glowing bacteria and the phenomenon of one species turning a bright purple.

The glow is caused by luminous bacteria commonly found on rotting seafood. Ghostly glowing fish like this...

A crossword covering enzyme action, inhibition, and activation energy.

The Birmingham Institute for Forest Research (BIFoR) is home to the BIFoR FACE facility, one of the world's largest climate change experiments where 150 parts per million extra of carbon dioxide is added to areas of the oak forest, to predict the impact on the ecosystem 50 years into the future.

BIFoR has...

This Catalyst article describes how, as two tectonic plates separate, wide fissures appear in the ground in northern Ethiopia. Eventually a new ocean will form in the area affected. The Earth’s surface is not stable or permanent. The tectonic plates that form our planet’s outer crust are constantly moving around,...

This Catalyst article looks at orchids, their breeding, and why they have great commercial value. The family of Orchidaceae is one of the largest plant families, with about 900 genera and 25,000 species. Orchids are amongst the oldest flowering plants. After a long evolution, they have developed a very intimate...

Produced by Twig, this animated video is a clear and accessible explanation of how the Solar System fromed. The video describes how:

* the solar system grew from a ball of gas which formed the Sun

* gravity caused heavy material to cluster together and eventually form planets

* the inner...

Black holes provide an important tool for testing the fundamental laws of the universe. This resource from the Institute of Physics, looks at the extreme physics associated with black holes, how we can spot them, and what roles they may play in galaxy formation.

This guide looks at stellar black holes and...