This Nuffield Advanced Chemistry Special Study enabled students to see something of the scope of the field of biochemistry, and to appreciate its dependence upon chemical principles The objectives were: *to show the fundamental chemical nature of living processes. *to consider the similarity of the chemical...

This is a Bingo activity from Arkive which can be used outside the classroom. Children are asked to circle living things they see on their sheet whilst on a field trip or nature walk. If they get four in a row they can shout 'Bingo'. This leads to a discussion on where the different species were found which can...

In this podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Sue Nelson hears about the birth of an ocean in the Afar depression in the Horn of Africa. The continental crust is being ripped apart at a phenomenal rate – one metre every year over the last five years. In...

A Year 11 module from the Salters’ Key Stage Four double award science course. The context for this module is the use of scientific ideas to explain human performance. Students discuss what is meant by being ‘fit’. They compare different uses of the word 'work' and are...

This podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) looks at how hikers and walkers could be unwittingly changing the landscape by spreading alien species; what it's like to work as a marine biologist in the Arctic in temperatures of minus 40°C; and exactly how...

In this practical activity students stain root tips and examine them for signs of cells dividing by mitosis. Students can either compare two different sources of root tip or two different stains. The mitotic index is the fraction of cells in a microscope field which contain condensed chromosomes. This index can be...

This resource is a compilation of reports by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and Ofqual reviewing standards over time in science subjects at GCSE and A levels.

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From the National Non-Food Crops Centre, this factsheet looks at the production and industrial use of starch and modified starches. These have a broad range of uses in the food and non-food sectors. Starch can be either used in its native (unmodified) form or, if specific properties are required, it can be...

This resource explores the types and number of animals used in research. The activity is best conducted with a whole class or as group work. The resource includes a lesson plan for the teacher. The resource was produced by Nuffield Council on Bioethics.

In this activity, students are required to question the assumptions they may make when presented with visual images of animal research. They need to consider an image carefully before they come to any conclusions about what is happening to the animal. The activity is best conducted in groups.The resource, from the...

This Mathematics Matters case study, from the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, discusses the importance of statistics and computing to developments in medical research. Sequencing the human genome was a fantastic achievement, but it was only the beginning. Now, statisticians are coming up with new...

A Year 11 module from the Salters’ Key Stage Four double award science course. This module explores the controlled and co-ordinated energy changes which maintain a complex series of interlinked metabolic processes in living tissues.

This activity, aimed at Key Stage Two, investigates a range of materials in the classroom, identifying by touch whether they are thermal conductors or thermal insulators. Children are then asked to plan the appropriate clothes to pack for hot and cold destinations, and...

Produced by the new economics foundation (nef), this resource contains activities that help students to discuss and understand stem cell research. The materials contain teacher guidance, student information and a range of activities that promote discussion and debate.

Students use the materials to learn...

This poster illustrates how to culture adult stem cells, embryonic stem cells and the process of therapeutic stem cell cloning.