Tiny Particle, Giant Detector - Neutrinos
A Catalyst article about neutrinos. Neutrinos are fundamental particles. They are tiny, a neutrino has a mass about one-millionth of the mass of an electron, and they have no electric charge. This article looks at the detection of these elusive particles which requires the use a giant detector. The one described is from the Katrin…
How Smart Is an Ant?
A Catalyst article about ants. A colony consists of hundreds, even thousands, of ants working diligently and cooperatively, perhaps to kill and carry a large prey item, build a large nest structure or develop and use road-like networks for foraging. Collectively, colonies of social insects can do amazing things and scientists invest…
Energy Control
A Catalyst article about the efficient use of heating systems. Many people complain of being too hot or cold. Coming soon are a new generation of intelligent heating controls which can learn how people live, and then deliver heating efficiently when and where they need it. These devices are known as Wattboxes and the article describes…
Biophotovoltaics
A Catalyst article looking at the use of plant cells to generate electricity via photosynthesis. This branch of science is called biophotovoltaics. The Sun is the ultimate source of energy for almost all life on Earth and harnessing this energy is one of the great scientific and technological challenges. Traditional fossil fuels…
Splitting Light: Spectroscopy
A Catalyst article looking at which type of radiation is absorbed and emitted through spectroscopy. This is the study of the wavelengths of light which allows us to identify the substances present in the source. This investigation provides a lot of useful information about a compound. It is used in a very wide variety of applications,…
Cloud Control
A Catalyst article about climate control, and specifically the process known as cloud seeding. Cloud seeding has met with initially encouraging results. The method entails adding silver iodide to the air in clouds to encourage ice crystals to form, so that they grow rapidly and produce more snow or rainfall than the cloud might have…
Science on the Western Front
In this Catalyst article the work of archaeologists working on the graves of World War One (WW I) victims is described. The total number of military dead in WWI is estimated at 8.5–10 million. In the mud and confusion, many of the dead did not have proper burials. Many temporary graves were destroyed by later shellfire. There…
Fantastic Plastic
This Catalyst article looks at the use of polymers in the manufacture of household items. The exciting thing about polymers is that it is possible to make polymers behave in so many different ways by organising their long chain molecules in different ways – polymers are the ultimate designer material. The article looks at their…
5/5- Publication year: 2000 - 2009
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Is Mars Dead?
A Catalyst article explaining how new data suggests that it is very unlikely that life ever existed on Mars. When the presence of water was confirmed a few years ago, there was a lot of speculation that at least simple life forms had once lived there as water is essential for every known living organism. The latest data gathered…
Oil Refining
This Catalyst article looks at oil production in Trinidad and Tobago. The oil refining process and method are explained. The article also investigates the resulting human impact on the environment. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2003, Volume 13, Issue 4. Catalyst is a science magazine for students aged 14-19…
- 5/5
- Publication year: 2000 - 2009
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Plants and Soil Nutrients
A Catalyst article looking at how plants develop large surface areas both in the air (leaves) and in the soil (root hairs) to get all they need from the environment. The article explores the relationship between plants and soil and looks at new research on fungi in soil and their involvement with the mineral nutrition of plants. This…
- 5/5
- Publication year: 2000 - 2009
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A Nuclear Future?
A Catalyst article examining the UK’s electricity supplies, twenty per cent of which come from nuclear power stations. Many of these power stations are approaching the end of their working lives. The article looks at the future prospects for nuclear power bearing in mind their safety record and environmental concerns. This…
A Life in Brine
This Catalyst article is devoted to brine shrimps. It examines their life cycle and food chain and also provides some advice on how to keep and care for them. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2003, Volume 13, Issue 4. Catalyst is a science magazine for students aged 14-19 years. Annual subscriptions to print…
A Vaccine for Malaria?
This Catalyst article examines malaria which is one of the world’s top ten diseases but an effective vaccine to combat it is yet to be discovered. Scientists in the Malaria Vaccine Group at Oxford are trying to overcome some very difficult problems using a new approach to vaccines. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science…
Trapping Carbon Dioxide
A Catalyst article about increased levels of carbon dioxide causing global warming. The atmosphere is being polluted when fossil fuels such as petrol are burnt releasing carbon dioxide. Despite concern about global warming, it seems nobody wants to use their cars less. The article looks at what can be done to reduce the rising levels…
Enzymes Outside the Body
A Catalyst article explaining how enzymes allow chemical reactions in all living organisms to proceed quickly, under conditions where they would normally be very slow. By isolating enzymes that could be used to catalyze reactions, scientists have started a major biotechnology industry. The article describes how enzymes work, and…
- 4/5
- Publication year: 2000 - 2009
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LED Lighting: a Bright Future
A Catalyst article about light emitting diodes and how they are more energy efficient than existing light bulbs which waste most of the energy they receive. The article explains how LEDs work and how they can be applied in traffic lights. Creating white light from LEDs is difficult and the article looks at possible ways of doing…
Yes, It Is Rocket Science
A Catalyst article looking at the methods used to power rockets. Solid rocket boosters and liquid fuel rockets are the two main propulsion systems used to power rockets and solar power is used to drive electrical equipment. This article looks at these power systems and the future for rocket science. This article is from Catalyst:…
Effects of Climate Change
A Catalyst article looking at climate change. In particular the science of phenology, the study of the times each year that certain life-cycle events occur, is examined. It involves recording data on when birds migrate, eggs hatch or when leaves change colour. If the climate is changing, the timing of these events might change as…
Energy Transfer
A Catalyst article devoted to food chains. This article looks at photosynthesis and the loss of energy from plants to animals throughout the food chain. How this limits the number of animals that can survive on the energy fixed by a patch of vegetation is explained. Foraging characteristics and how many animals can live on an area…
Where on Earth?
This Catalyst article is devoted to the use of satellites for navigation. It looks at GPS (global positioning system), the involvement of satellites and how GPS signals work in navigation and calculating position. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2002, Volume 13, Issue 2. Catalyst is a science magazine for…
Fireworks: an Explosive Business
This Catalyst article looks at fireworks and their history, how they are made and set off, and what gives them their colours and effects. The basic chemistry used in fireworks is looked at and how they work once the fuse is ignited. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2002, Volume 13, Issue 2. Catalyst is a science…
Where Have All the Skylarks Gone?
A Catalyst article looking at how living organisms can act as biological indicators of problems in the way the environment is managed. Skylarks and other birds are disappearing from farmland. The article looks at how the statistics have been obtained, how and why bird numbers have declined and what can be done to encourage them back. This…
Hearing the World around Us
A Catalyst article about how engineers use their understanding of sound waves to develop highly realistic sound systems for films, music systems and computer games. The same ideas can help people with eyesight and hearing problems. Sound waves are affected by their surroundings and the article examines this along with how sound is…
Plastics: an Insoluble Problem
A Catalyst article about the problems of recycling plastics. The article looks at novel uses for products made from recycled plastics. It also looks at the make-up of polymers and the history of their manufacture. Finally, alternatives to plastics are examined. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2002, Volume 13,…
Hot Problems
A Catalyst article about high-level nuclear waste. It is hot, corrosive and a source of intense radiation. The nuclear industry is seeking safe ways to deal with such waste, and wants the public to help shape the decisions that are made. This article presents some information about the options for the storage of radioactive waste,…
Carbon Dioxide
A Catalyst article about carbon dioxide which can be used as a solvent in industry, or as a regulator of blood pH. This article looks at some other uses of carbon dioxide and considers its importance in global warming. It also explains how the greenhouse effect is a natural part of the operation of the Earth's atmosphere and…
Bringing a Mummy to Life
A Catalyst article about a temple singer who was preserved as a mummy over 2000 years ago in Egypt. She now lies inside a coffin in a museum in Manchester. Thanks to developments in medical science, researchers are revealing the secrets of her life and piecing together the diseases she suffered from by using X-rays and tissue biopsy.…
Quick Reactions
A Catalyst article which explores how the nervous system works. Sensitivity, the ability to respond to stimulation, is a product of nervous system activity. How nerve impulses pass around the body, and why these responses are so fast are investigated in the article. Neurones, reflexes, synapses and receptors are also looked at. This…
Fertilisers
A Catalyst article about what happens as plants grow. During their growth, plants remove compounds of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from soil which need to be replaced to maintain the soil’s fertility. For centuries farmers have used organic manures, crop rotation or ploughed in specially grown crops; today many use chemical…
Keeping Things Steady
A Catalyst article about homeostasis describing how the process enables birds and mammals to be active on cold days when other species are not. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2004, Volume 14, Issue 3. Catalyst is a science magazine for students aged 14-19 years. Annual subscriptions to print copies of the…
- 4/5
- Publication year: 2000 - 2009
- Article
Cook Electric
A Catalyst article looking at the use of gas and electric for cooking. The article focuses on the latest hobs which use radiant, halogen or induction electric heating, to see if they can compete with gas. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2004, Volume 14, Issue 3. Catalyst is a science magazine for students…