INSPIRE

Inspire

Dance of the Tiger, By Björn Kurtén

May 5, 2008 | Issue 8

Teachers and many older school students will enjoy Dance of the Tiger, a very unusual fictional story written by a scientist about his own subject.

Ages: 16-19
Keywords: Teaching resources, Evolution, Evolutionary biology

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Inspire

On the trail of a cure for cancer

April 29, 2008 | Issue 8

Joan Massagué has discovered secrets that can save lives. An expert in cell division and the spread of cancer, he is one of the 50 most quoted researchers in all scientific fields. He speaks to Sarah Sherwood about his recent work on metastasis and his hopes for a cure for cancer.

Ages: 16-19
Keywords: Cancer, Cancer research, Careers in science

                       

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Inspire

Paul goes back to the classroom

April 29, 2008 | Issue 8

As any teacher knows, the job isn’t exactly easy. So what makes a professional, experienced bioinformatician want to give up an established career to brave the front of a classroom? Vienna Leigh from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory investigates.

Ages: not applicable
Keywords: Careers in science

             

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Inspire

Salt of the Earth

April 29, 2008 | Issue 8

Prudence Mutowo can really identify with the organism she studies. After all, they have a lot in common. She told Vienna Leigh about researching a recently discovered archaeal species, Haloferax volcanii, which thrives in extreme conditions – and coming from Zimbabwe to the UK to pursue her…

Ages: 16-19
Keywords: Cells, Cell biology, Microorganisms

         

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UNDERSTAND

Understand

Laboratory in space: interview with Bernardo Patti

April 29, 2008 | Issue 8

Bernardo Patti is the Columbus mission manager at the European Space Agency. He is an engineer and worked at nuclear power plants before going into space technology. Shortly before Columbus was launched, he talked to Anna-Lynn Wegener.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19
Keywords: Space, Conditions in space, ISA, International Space Station

             

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Understand

Locking the cradle

April 29, 2008 | Issue 8

Winfried Weissenhorn’s group at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Grenoble, France, has uncovered a possible way to tackle a range of dangerous viruses –by trapping them inside their cocoons. Claire Ainsworth investigates.

Ages: 16-19
Keywords: Health, Infectious diseases, Health and disease, Medicine

             

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Understand

Research into the Sun’s atmosphere

April 28, 2008 | Issue 8

Ever wondered what the solar wind means to us on Earth or what happens when the surface of the Sun erupts sporadically? Lucie Green from University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UK, describes some of the recent research into the Sun’s atmosphere.

Ages: 16-19
Keywords: Stars, Sun, Astronomy, Space, Solar system

                 

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Understand

Life on Mars: terraforming the Red Planet

April 28, 2008 | Issue 8

Science fact or science fiction? Margarita Marinova from Caltech, USA, investigates the possibility of establishing life on Mars.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19
Keywords: Planets, What is life?

                 

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Understand

The Automated Transfer Vehicle – supporting Europe in space

April 28, 2008 | Issue 8

Where do astronauts get their food? What happens to their waste? Adam Williams from the European Space Agency in Darmstadt, Germany, describes the development of an unmanned shuttle to supply the International Space Station.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19
Keywords: Space, Earth and Space, Astronaut, International Space Station

           

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TEACH

Teach

Chewing flavours

April 29, 2008 | Issue 8

Ken Gadd and Luca Szalay introduce a procedure used in industry – and adapted for school students – to measure the citric acid level in chewing gum.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19
Keywords: Acidity

           

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Teach

Ginger beer: a traditional fermented low-alcohol drink

April 29, 2008 | Issue 8

Because of its low alcohol content, ginger ‘beer’ is a popular drink with British children. Dean Madden from the National Centre for Biotechnology Education, University of Reading, UK, gives his recipe for introducing younger students to the principles of fermentation, food hygiene and the…

Ages: 14-16, 16-19
Keywords: Teaching resources

                 

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