All life forms on Earth are based on organic biochemistry. This activity requires students to analyse an unknown soil sample (just recovered from a space mission to another planet!) and look for signs of possible indicators for life. Curriculum areas covered:

• Cell biology
• Food tests, including...

This set of activities for students builds toward them being able to answer the question 'Assess whether the UK is becoming more extreme in the 21st century.'  Initially students are asked to define the terms 'rare' and 'extreme' and then order the layers of the Earth's atmosphere. This is followed by tasks to:...

This video explains why astronauts float. The common misconception is that there is no gravity in space, yet the astronaut is in the Earth’s gravitational field.  Rather, the astronaut is falling towards the Earth (as is the spacecraft). However, their horizontal speed is 28,000km/hr. This and the curvature of the...

Newton is regarded as one of the most influential physicists and mathematicians of all time and his actual birthday depends upon which calendar is used. Under the Julian calendar which was being used in England at the time Newton was born on Christmas day 1642. However, under the currently used Gregorian calander...

This Unilever Laboratory Experiment, published in 1966, describes the use of steam distillation to separate oil from crushed cloves. The method for extracting the eugenol from the oil used carbon tetrachloride (tetrachloromethane) and so would need to be modified before this could now be done in schools and...

A Catalyst article about scientists publishing their results in journals. Newspapers, magazines and TV programmes are full of stories based on science and technology. But can these articles be trusted? This article looks at the way in which scientists try to ensure that their own publications are reliable. It makes...

This report from the Institute of Physics explores data from the National Pupil Database, looking at progression to A level physics from Key Stage Four in different types of school. In particular, it focuses on the inequalities of numbers between the girls and boys taking the subject at this level. Although girls...

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 working in materials science and engineering, the process of deciding which material is best for each application. The structure of materials, processing them and working in jobs and careers with them are explained.

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

Produced by JIVE (Joint Interventions), this set of information posters are for employers to illustrate how organisations can support and inspire women to enter and progress in Science, Engineering Technology and the Built Environment.

Designed for teachers and STEM Ambassadors, this guide to the James Webb Space Telescope contains sections on the design of the spacecraft and instruments, and the science objects of the mission.  Advice on which information is appropriate for primary and secondary level is included.

Hydrologists are principally involved in monitoring, managing and conserving the Earth's freshwater resources. They study the quantity, trends and implications of freshwater in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, aquifers and glaciers. They also monitor and analyse rainfall. A Levels: Geography, History, Physics

This video takes a light-hearted look at motion. It applies Newton’s second and third laws to explain how motion occurs in the space shuttle and a jetpack. Misconception about reaction forces are identified (the need for the ground/lake for a reaction force to be generated) for motion to happen. This explains how...

This Catalyst article looks at how jewellery is traditionally made from metals such as gold, silver and platinum because these metals may be found in their native state and are corrosion-resistant.

This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2011, Volume 22, Issue 2.

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