This Catalyst article details how the genome of a plant called Arabidopsis has been unravelled so that this species can act as a model in genetic studies. Arabidopsis thaliana is a model species like the fruit fly Drosophila, yeast, and the bacterium Escherichia coli.  Scientists...

This Catalyst article looks at sexual selection, a form of natural selection, and the role it plays in the evolution of many organisms. The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014, Volume 24, Issue 4.

Catalyst is a science...

This Unilever Laboratory Experiment describes the preparation of soap from a mixture of cooking oil and dripping. The leaflet was first published in 1964 and so lacks modern safety guidance. The procedure is authentic; it is designed to produce a convincing sample of soap. This means that it could be the basis of...

The method of preparation of a sulphonate paste described in this Unilever Laboratory Experiment is basically the same as that used by Unilever in the large-scale production of soapless detergents at the time of publication in 1964. The required reactants included an alkylbenzene hydrocarbon supplied by the...

This Catalyst article looks at the production of rice, which is a staple food for billions of people. It describes how crop scientists have identified varieties of rice with favourable characteristics, such as flood resistance, and are using them to develop crops with increased yield. Such crops may help to...

A podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Have you ever noticed that when you cross a busy road, as well as clocking the traffic, you subconsciously follow what your neighbours do?

Scientists have recently put a figure on this and worked out that...

This activity, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, introduces students to ways of combining errors (uncertainties) from two independent measured quantities. Using the equation for Doppler shift, the error in the rotational velocity and time period are calculated....

Since 1799 the Royal Institution has been introducing new technologies and teaching science to the general public.  Their vision is " A world where everyone is inspired to think more deeply about science and its place in our lives."  They use their iconic Christmas...

The Royal Institution's 2021 Christmas Lecture - Going Viral, will be broadcast on the BBC in late December. Although the specifics of the lectures are a closely guarded secret, STEM Learning have pulled together a collection of resources from the STEM Learning eLibrary that will support...

The Royal Institution's 2022 Christmas Lectures - Secrets of forensic science, were...

The Royal Society is a an independent scientific academy in the UK, dedicated to promoting excellence in science.

This collection of resources from the Royal Society contains a variety of activity types and themes, such as why a career in science is for me, inspiring scientists and climate change, and the...

This Unilever Laboratory Experiment, published in 1969, gives the procedure for using corrosion (ferroxyl) indicator to demonstrate anodic and cathodic areas on the surface of steel as it corrodes.

This Catalyst article explains how studying sand can reveal both the geological and biological history of a local environment as sand varies from place to place. Sand from near a copper smelter can contain grains of copper; grains can contain worm trails from microscopic worms living in the ocean. Even the grains...

Published in 2008, this report from the TDA outlines the investigation into how professional development across Initial Teacher Training (ITT) and Early Professional Development (EPD) is manifested in secondary science teaching across England.

The...