A Catalyst article about Socotra, a small archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean off the horn of Africa, belonging to the Republic of Yemen. The islands are becoming famous for their range of animal and plant species and for their use as a natural 'laboratory' where ideas about evolution can be tested. The...

This Catalyst article looks at the effect exercise has on the body. Poor fitness contributes to poor life expectancy, and inability to exercise reduces quality of life in the ill or aged. Scientists hope to understand the mechanisms which limit 'exercise tolerance' which would contribute to enhanced performance for...

In this SATIS Revisited resource students consider the conflict between the increasing use of energy and the need to reduce the use of fossil fuels in order to lessen carbon dioxide emissions and tackle climate change.

The aim of this unit is to introduce the idea that the discussion of controversial issues...

From the National Non-Food Crops Centre, this factsheet looks at the sources and supply of biofuels in the UK. It describes:

• how biodiesel and bioethanol are produced
• blends of biofuels used in vehicle fuels
• sources and biofuel production in the UK
• greenhouse gas emission...

These Nuffield Council on Bioethics resources aim to help students make informed decisions about the use of animals in research.There are 10 activities to choose from, made up of individual starters, activities, plenaries and an assessment exercise which can be dropped into a lesson or used as a whole according to...

This Nuffield Primary Science Teachers’ Guide for teaching the Variety of Life topic, to students aged 5-7, is divided into three chapters:

*Chapter 1: Planning - showing how to use the resources to plan a topic and,...

This Nuffield Primary Science Teachers’ Guide for teaching the Variety of Life topic, to students aged 7-12, is divided into five chapters:

*Chapter 1: Introduction - covering useful strategies, the SPACE approach and...

Produced by Understanding Animal Research, this resource is a Key Stage Three science or citizenship activity looking at malaria, one of the world's greatest killers.

Why is such a small amount of research funding dedicated to this serious condition? Why should it take a celebrity sufferer, Cheryl Cole, to...

This brightly coloured leaflet from the Microbiology Society explains how good hand hygiene can reduce the spread of infection and also help prevent food poisoning. Specially designed, bold cartoons are used to illustrate the key points together with a list of fascinating facts about microbial transmission. It is...

Most people are all too familiar with the idea of animal parasites, including tape worms, ticks and lice. But did you know that plants can also act as parasites, exploiting resources from unwilling hosts? Rather than being rare anomalies, however, there are over 4000 known species of parasitic plants, with...

The World of Science book was based on a selection of the existing SATIS units that had stood the test of time. The project team set up by the Association for Science Education also devised new units to cover topics that had been introduced into the curriculum...

This Resource Book includes guidance and answers to questions together with photocopiable activity pages for each of the 44 topics covered in the World of Science textbook.

Types of activities

The 'World of Science' is not a...

In this practical protocol students investigate one way in which bacteria acquire antibiotic resistance through conjugation - horizontal gene transfer from one bacterial strain or species to another.

Plasmid-mediated evolution is fast because whole functional ‘modules’ are lost and gained, rather than the...

This Catalyst article looks at research suggesting that the social world influences the activity of human genes, in turn affecting brain function. Neuroscientists are now beginning to explore how the brain might be linked to certain...