This Science upd8 resource revolves around the topic of the universe. A mission brings space dust back from the tail of a comet. The dust may reveal secrets about the origins of the universe and life on Earth. Students must defend the mission's $200 million price tag and produce a graphic to support their talks. ...

This Nature of Science book looks at the history of astronomy and how scientists understanding of the solar system, forces and gravity has developed. The story includes the revolutionary ideas of Copernicus, Galileo and Newton and the theory of magnetism.

The chapters are:

1. Stars and gods

2....

NASA has been responsible for some fantastic images of space, especially from the Hubble Space Telescope. These are a few of the images of stars, nebulae and galaxies. More images are available from the  NASA website

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...

Starters for STEM consists of lots of easy to run activities suitable for children from 4-11. Designed for parents to use at home they help children develop their science, technology, engineering and maths skills. These activities are easy-to-resource and provide children with the stimulus to talk about the world...

Starters for Science consists of lots of easy to run activities suitable for children from 4-11.  Designed for use in school or at home they help children develop their science knowledge and...

A Catalyst article looking at strategies for ensuring that there is a plentiful food supply in the future and how this can be sustained.

The article looks at three main areas for scientific investigation:

*Fertilisation

*Pest control

*Genetic modification

It also looks at...

This video covers the basics of state changes in water. It explains how the distance between molecules and their motion can be used to explain the three states of water (solid, liquid and gas).  

A big idea in chemistry is the idea of how substances behave and change. This is important because we are surrounded by objects made from different materials, each with their own physical properties that make them suitable or unsuitable for different purposes. How substances behave helps us to categorise them into...

Contrails occur when water vapour from jet engines condenses – only when the temperature and humidity conditions of the air is right. Contrails act like greenhouse gases. Marc Stettler from Imperial College, London is interested in guiding aircraft to fly where conditions are right, reducing contrail formation....

These diagnostic questions and response activities (contained in the zip file) support students in being able to:

• Identify when an electrostatic force is acting in familiar situations. 
• Describe how objects with a positive or negative charge attract or repel other charged objects.
• ...

This STEM activity gives pupils the opportunity to investigate the effects of static electricity. Pupils will rub a balloon against their jumper and use the build-up of static charge to make tissue paper cat shapes pounce onto and stick to the balloon. They will then be encouraged to discuss and explain the outcome...

Statistics are a vital tool that can be used to define and solve a wide range of problems in everyday life. In this lesson students will revise and consolidate statistical techniques and then look at how these techniques were used to identify and overcome problems of air pollution in London in the 1950s and how...