Air pollutants arise from natural processes and human activities. In this SATIS Revisited resource, students investigate air pollution, how it is monitored and some effects on human health. Air pollutants arise from a wide variety of sources, although they are mainly a result of the combustion process. It is easy...

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 set of four animations created by the Natural Environment Research Council for teachers to use in the primary classroom as introductions to new subjects. The four animations are: •Climate change •The final frontier •The splitting Earth •Evolution is still happening Each animation is accompanied by a closed...

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 resource from the European Space Agency climate change resource pack provides background information on the role of Arctic sea ice upon the Earth’s climate system. All activities are set in the context of the Northwest Passage. Changes in the amount of sea ice can disrupt normal ocean circulation, leading to...

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...

This book was written by the Nuffield Junior Science project to show teachers how seasonal materials offer children many opportunities to carry out simple investigations. The aim was to help children to build up, over the years, a picture of the continuity and wholeness...

A Catalyst article about Darwin's travels on the Beagle which gave him ideas about evolution. Darwin spent almost five years on board HMS Beagle as it sailed around the world. The purpose of the voyage was to map navigation channels around the coast of South America. Darwin was the ship’s naturalist and companion...