This collection of fourteen 60 second animated clips were produced by the Open University, and funded by the Science Technology Facilities Council. They focus on cutting edge topics within astrophysics in a humorous and easily accessible way. The animations cover topics such as the Big Bang, the expansion of the...

Produced in 2003, these performance descriptors for chemistry science subjects at AS and A2 levels were written to indicate the level of attainment characteristic of grades A/B and E/U boundary candidates across a series of assessment objectives. It was intended that they should be interpreted in relation to the...

Produced in 2007, these performance descriptors for science subjects at AS and A2 levels were written to indicate the level of attainment characteristic of grades A/B and E/U boundary candidates across a series of assessment objectives. It was intended that they should be interpreted in relation to the content...

This podcast from the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) Planet Earth Online collection looks at invasive species of plants and animals. Many of them are well-known. Grey squirrels, harlequin ladybirds, buddleia, Japanese knotweed - the list goes on. Some of these aliens, or invasive species to give them...

A Catalyst article about ice cores from Antarctica which contain air bubbles which record the changing atmosphere. The Antarctic ice sheet is over 3 kilometres thick; ice cores enable scientists to sample each year of snow fall in sequence. This evidence is vital in understanding how the climate is changing. The...

A podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Richard Hollingham finds out that the freezing seas around Antarctica are not barren and lifeless. The Census of Marine Life is building up a picture of the richness and diversity of life in the world's oceans and...

This poster looks at the nature of antimatter. One side of the poster discusses Dirac’s prediction and the subsequent discovery of antimatter, in the form of the positron. The difficulty of the storage of antimatter is explained and the use of positrons in medical imaging (PET scanners) is described. The other side...

In this podcast from the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) Planet Earth Online collection, Richard Hollingham reports from an unusual and somewhat cold location - onboard the British Antarctic Survey's RRS James Clark Ross which was stuck in the ice for two weeks 1000 kilometres from the North Pole. He...

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 investigates possible careers in astronomy and space science. It provides some information on a number of academic courses leading to an exciting career in astronomy; the article also lists places to visit for those with general interest in astronomy.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE...

A Catalyst article about using an AFM to image surfaces. The article comprises an annotated diagram of the microscope.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2005, Volume 16, Issue 2.

Catalyst is a science magazine for students...