Articles

Cornelius Gross: from the classroom to the laboratory

The majority of young scientists working in research have only ever been that – scientists. But Vienna Leigh reports how one group leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory started his career at the front of a classroom – and feels that his science benefits as a result.

Ages: not applicable;
Topics: Profiles
         

Climate change modelling in the classroom

Why not get your students to make their own predictions of climate change – with the help of Dudley Shallcross and Tim Harrison from Bristol University, UK?

Ages: 16-19;
Topics: Physics, Earth science, Mathematics
               

Materials science to the rescue: easily removable chewing gum

Halina Stanley investigates the history of chewing gum, how the chemistry of the gum affects its properties, and how scientists are using this knowledge to make chewing gum less of a pollutant.

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

Issue 9

By Steven M. Autieri Building a hypothetical family portrait can help students to understand genetics. Looking for a way to assess whether your biology students truly understand key genetics terminology, such as dominant and recessive or genotype and phenotype? This activity presents a fun,…

Interview with Steve Jones: the threat of creationism

Steve Jones talks to Vienna Leigh about the startling re-emergence of creationism in Europe, how teachers can help, and why he will never argue with a creationist.

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

Dance of the Tiger, By Björn Kurtén

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;
Topics: Resources

Laboratory in space: interview with Bernardo Patti

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;
Topics: Physics, Biology, Astronomy / space
             

Chewing flavours

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;
Topics: Chemistry
           

Choosing Children: Genes, Disability, and Design, By Jonathan Glover

The aim of Choosing Children is to investigate how humanity should regulate its fast-increasing ability to genetically design the babies of tomorrow.

Ages: 16-19;
Topics: Resources
 

What do we know about climate? Investigating the effects of anthropogenic global warming

In this, the second of two articles, climate researcher Rasmus Benestad from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute examines the evidence that humans are causing climate change.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19;
Topics: Earth science, Science and society