Articles

Filter
Age group
Topic
Filter

Showing 10 results from a total of 319

| Issue 11

Systems biology in the classroom?

Systems biology is one of the fastest growing fields in the life sciences. But what is it all about? And does it have a place in the classroom? Les Grivell from the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in Heidelberg, Germany, investigates.

Ages: 16-19;
Topics: Biology
         

| Issue 11

Growing crystals from protein

Beat Blattmann and Patrick Sticher from the University of Zürich, Switzerland, explain the science behind protein crystallography and provide a protocol for growing your own crystals from protein – an essential method used by scientists to determine protein structures.

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

| Issue 11

Outmanoeuvering influenza’s tricks

Catching the influenza virus can be more than just a nuisance: these pathogens have caused the most deadly pandemic in recent history. Claire Ainsworth investigates how scientists are working to prevent it happening again.

Ages: 16-19;
Topics: Biology
       

| 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
 

| Issue 10

Nanotechnology in school

Matthias Mallmann from NanoBioNet eV explains what nanotechnology really is, and offers two nano-experiments for the classroom.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19;
Topics: Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering
     

| Issue 10

Planting ideas: climate-change activities for primary school

Sue Johnson from the Institute of Education, London University, UK, introduces the Plant Scientists Investigate project, and presents three plant-related activities for primary-school children. Compare the carbon dioxide concentrations of inhaled and exhaled air, visualise your own oxygen…

Ages: <11;
Topics: Biology, Chemistry
     

| Issue 10

Better milk for cats: immobilised lactase used to make lactose-reduced milk

Dean Madden from the National Centre for Biotechnology Education (NCBE), University of Reading, UK, suggests an experiment to make lactose-free milk – useful both for cats and for the 75% of the world’s human population that are intolerant to this type of sugar.

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

| Issue 10

Sentinels: meerkat superheroes

Mico Tatalovic from the University of Cambridge, UK, investigates the private lives of meerkats. Why do these small carnivores live in groups? Why do they feed each other’s pups, dig together and guard each other? And what makes a really good sentinel?

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

| Issue 9

What killed the woolly mammoth?

Climate change is nothing new. Caitlin Sedwick describes how a computer model is helping scientists to explain the extinction of the woolly mammoth.

Ages: 16-19;
Topics: Biology, Earth science
                   

| Issue 9

Investigating the action of urease

Anna Lorenc from the Volvox project explains the importance of the enzyme urease and presents a protocol to demonstrate urease activity in the classroom.

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