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Showing 10 results from a total of 116

Teach issue16cancer
| Issue 16

Can you spot a cancer mutation?

How does cancer develop, and how can geneticists tell that a cell is cancerous? This teaching activity developed by the Communication and Public Engagement team from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK, answers these and other related questions.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19;
Topics: Biology, Health
                   

Understand issue15prions
| Issue 15

Deadly proteins: prions

Since the epidemic of ‘mad cow disease’ in the 1980s and 90s, and the emergence of its human equivalent, variant Creutzfeld-Jacob disease, there has been a great deal of research into prions, the causative agents. Mico Tatalovic reviews the current state of knowledge.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19;
Topics: Biology, Health
             

Understand issue14ehrsson
| Issue 15

Exploring out-of-body experiences: interview with Henrik Ehrsson

We’ve all sometimes felt ‘beside ourselves’, but have you ever felt that you were actually outside yourself – looking at yourself from outside your own body? Marta Paterlini talked to Henrik Ehrsson, a scientist studying this phenomenon.

Ages: 14-16;
Topics: Biology, General science, Health, Science and society
   

Understand issue14evolution
| Issue 14

Natural selection at the molecular level

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;
Topics: Biology, Health
                   

Understand issue13insight
| Issue 13

Getting a grip on genetic diseases

Sabine Hentze and Martina Muckenthaler tell Lucy Patterson about their work – detecting genetic diseases and counselling potentially affected patients.

Ages: 16-19;
Topics: Biology, Health
           

Understand issue13immunology
| Issue 13

Winning an Oscar in immunology

Have you ever wondered what it is that scientists get so excited about? Ana de Barros from the Instituto de Medicina Molecular in Lisbon, Portugal, shares with us the excitement of researching the immune system.

Ages: 16-19;
Topics: Biology, Health
           

Teach issue12microarray
| Issue 12

Fishing for genes: DNA microarrays in the classroom

Anastasios Koutsos, Alexandra Manaia, and Julia Willingale-Theune bring a sophisticated molecular biology technique into the classroom.

Ages: 16-19;
Topics: Biology, Health, Science and society, General science
     

Understand issue11schistosomiasis
| Issue 11

Sugary insights into worm parasite infections

Schistosomiasis is the second most socioeconomically devastating parasitic disease after malaria. Alan Wilson and Stuart Haslam investigate new ways to combat the parasite – taking advantage of its sugar coating.

Ages: 16-19;
Topics: Biology, Health
 

Teach issue9diabetes
| Issue 9

Detecting sugar: an everyday problem when facing diabetes

Fred Engelbrecht and Thomas Wendt from the ExploHeidelberg Teaching Lab describe some experiments on sugar detection to demonstrate the problems that people with diabetes face every day.

Ages: 16-19;
Topics: Biology, Chemistry, Health
                 

Understand issue8rabies
| Issue 8

Locking the cradle

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;
Topics: Biology, Health