This Catalyst article explains why there are many anti-bacterial drugs but few antivirals. There are millions of bacteria everywhere – on skin, in the gut, and on food. Bacteria have been troubling human beings for as long as they have been around, so a lot of effort has been directed into finding ways to fight...

Produced by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, this booklet guides students to use Einstein’s mass-energy equivalence equation to determine when the Sun will become a red giant. Included is an online video that discusses how we can determine how old the Sun is. Details on the relationship between mass and energy in...

This podcast from the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) Planet Earth Online collection looks at how scientists are using fish scales to figure out why the UK salmon population is falling; and how carbon dioxide emissions from power stations could be used to make household bricks.

Salmon numbers...

From Understanding Animal Research, these materials help students understand the process of drug discovery and development. It shows that the drug discovery process is long and complex and involves several different stages, including basic research, animal testing and clinical trials. The materials include: *...

This resource, from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), provides support for a series of lessons on medicines – what they do and how to use them safely. It looks at how medicines are discovered, developed and tested through the eyes of a young girl.

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Developed for use in Early Years, these resources link to work on the areas of physical development, understanding the world and communicating ideas, they also aid vocabulary development and working as part of a group. They look at different types of food, where they come from and the shops which sell these...

A Catalyst article looking at how living organisms can act as biological indicators of problems in the way the environment is managed. Skylarks and other birds are disappearing from farmland. The article looks at how the statistics have been obtained, how and why bird numbers have declined and what can be done to...

This Catalyst article introduces Tom Denbigh who describes how he has worked as a volunteer on scientific projects to gain experience before his degree course.

This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2011...

Produced by Rolls-Royce, this series of case studies illustrates the wide range of career opportunities that are opened up for students with skills in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. They can be used to give careers advice and guidance to students as well as to illustrate the curriculum principles...

Produced by Rolls-Royce, this entertaining video clip takes the form of an animated rap which describes a range of career opportunities open to students with skills in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). It makes a good...

Following the successful rendezvous of the Rosetta spacecraft, with comet 67P, this Catalyst article explains how a smaller spacecraft will land on the surface of the comet. Philae is due to land on the comet on 12 November 2014, the first ever attempt to land an object on the surface of a comet.

The article...

In this activity students take on the role of Earth observation scientists submitting a request for an image they would like for their research. This gives them the opportunity to consider the possibilities of pictures taken from orbit (and the limitations) and to write scientifically for a specific audience. It...

In this activity students take on the role of Earth observation scientists submitting a request for an image they would like for their research. This gives them the opportunity to consider the possibilities of pictures taken from orbit (and the limitations) and to write scientifically for a specific audience. It...

In this activity children take on the role of Earth observation scientists submitting a request for an image they would like for their research. This gives them the opportunity to consider the possibilities of pictures taken from orbit (and the limitations) and to write scientifically for a specific audience. It...