INSPIRE

Inspire

Juggling careers: science and teaching in Germany

April 30, 2010 | Issue 14

Jörg Gutschank tells Vienna Leigh how his circus skills inspired him to take up teaching and saw him through his training – and how they help in the classroom.

Ages: not applicable
Keywords: Physics, Careers in science

     

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Inspire

Why Evolution is True, By Jerry A. Coyne

April 30, 2010 | Issue 14

When I recently told a taxi driver that I was on my way to give a lecture on evolution in northern Germany, the young man asked me, looking straight ahead, “So, do you think Darwin got it right?” A bit taken aback, I answered that yes, by and large, Darwin had got it just right – only to be…

Ages: not applicable
Keywords: Biology, Evolution

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Inspire

Science on Stage: recent activities

April 29, 2010 | Issue 14

As the whirl of national Science on Stage activities continues, Eleanor Hayes reports on some recent events from Spain, German and even Canada.

Ages: not applicable
Keywords: Event report

 

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Inspire

Science comics and cartoons

April 29, 2010 | Issue 14

Comics have generally been considered as nothing more than a cheap pastime. However, Mico Tatalovic suggests some useful comics to help promote and explain science to students.

Ages: not applicable
Keywords: Art, General science

 

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Inspire

A scientific mind

April 29, 2010 | Issue 14

Lucy Patterson talks to Yasemin Koc from the British Council about scientific thinking as a versatile tool for life.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19
Keywords: Science communication

 

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UNDERSTAND

Understand

Natural selection at the molecular level

April 30, 2010 | Issue 14

We know that particular genetic sequences can help us to survive in our environment – this is the basis of evolution. But demonstrating which genetic sequences are beneficial and how they help us to survive is not easy – especially in wild populations. Jarek Bryk describes some relevant recent…

Ages: not applicable
Keywords: Biology, Evolution, Ethics, Genetics, Molecular biology, History of science

                   

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Understand

Starch: a structural mystery

April 29, 2010 | Issue 14

A string of glucose molecules: starch. It sounds simple, but it isn’t. Dominique Cornuéjols and Serge Pérez explore the intricacies of its structure – and show that the mystery is by no means solved.

Ages: 16-19
Keywords: Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry

         

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Understand

Chemistry and light

April 29, 2010 | Issue 14

Peter Douglas and Mike Garley investigate how chemistry and light interact in many aspects of our everyday life.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19
Keywords: Physics, Chemistry

       

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Understand

Biodiversity: a look back at 2009

April 29, 2010 | Issue 14

In celebration of the International Year of Biodiversity 2010, Matt Kaplan takes us on a whirlwind tour through the previous year’s most inspiring discoveries of biodiversity.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19
Keywords: Biology, Ecology, Biodiversity

         

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Understand

Getting ahead in evolution

April 29, 2010 | Issue 14

Lucy Patterson talks to Èlia Benito Gutierrez, from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, about how Èlia’s favourite animal, amphioxus, could be the key to understanding the evolution of vertebrates.

Ages: 16-19
Keywords: Biology, Information and communications technology, Evolution, Development, Geology, Earth science

       

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TEACH

Teach

Physics in kindergarten and primary school

April 30, 2010 | Issue 14

Werner and Gabriele Stetzenbach tell us how kindergarten and primary-school children discover the world of physics together with secondary-school students as their mentors. Why not try it in your school?

Ages: 11-14
Keywords: Biology, Physics, General science, Primary

         

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Teach

The microbial fuel cell: electricity from yeast

April 30, 2010 | Issue 14

We all know that yeast is used to produce beer and bread – but electricity? Dean Madden from the National Centre for Biotechnology Education, University of Reading, UK, shows how it works.

Ages: not applicable
Keywords: Physics, Energy, Microbiology

         

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Teach

Spectrometry at school: hands-on experiments

April 29, 2010 | Issue 14

Nataša Gros, Tim Harrison, Irena Štrumbelj Drusany and Alma Kapun Dolinar introduce a selection of experiments with a simple spectrometer designed especially for schools – and give details of how to perform one of the activities.

Ages: 16-19
Keywords: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental science, Optics, Statistics

             

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Teach

Bringing particle physics to life: build your own cloud chamber

April 29, 2010 | Issue 14

Particle physics is often seen as something only for huge research institutes, out of reach of the general public. Francisco Barradas-Solas and Paloma Alameda-Meléndez demonstrate how – with the aid of a homemade particle detector – you can dispel this myth by bringing particle physics to life…

Ages: 16-19
Keywords: Physics, Particle physics

               

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EDITORIAL

Editorial

Welcome to the fourteenth issue of Science in School

April 29, 2010 | Issue 14

In this issue, a common theme is the nature of science and how to teach it. Pierre Léna, interviewed in our feature article, believes that when teaching science “it’s important to convey the idea that science is a human and collective adventure, not a lonely and national activity”. For him,…

Ages: not applicable

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