Extremophiles - How to Find Life on Mars
This Catalyst article looks at life in extreme environments on Earth which can suggest how life might exist on Mars. One of the developments in recent years that really opened up scientists’ eyes to the possibility of life on Mars has been the realization of just how adaptable and versatile life on Earth is. The extremophiles…
Ice - Water - Steam
This Catalyst article describes an experiment in which, using a microwave oven, water can be boiled in a cup made of ice, allowing all three states of water to be seen at once. The article explains what equipment needed to carry out the experiment, instructions, and a detailed explanation of why it works.
Mount Etna - Europe's Biggest Volcano
This Catalyst article takes a look at Mount Etna on the Italian island of Sicily, the biggest and tallest active volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world. The article explores the geology of the volcano, its history and the local habitat surrounding it including how the volcanic conditions create rich fertile soil.
Investigating Poisoning
Investigating serious crimes such as murder, rape and terrorism requires forensic science experts. These people work alongside the police to find the evidence that will bring the culprit to court. In this Catalyst article, Tony Hargreaves looks at criminal poisoning and shows how forensic science is used to solve serious murder cases.
Uncovering the Magical World of Signalling
This Catalyst article takes a look at the winners of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2012 who revealed how cells communicate. All functions of the human body require signals to be released, detected by a receptor in the right place and an appropriate response to be mounted. For example, hormones can be released into the blood stream…
Eating Chocolate
This Catalyst article looks at how the structure and properties of chocolate change when it is melted and re-solidified. An experiment is described in which the differences between solid chocolate, and chocolate which has been melted and re-hardened can be found, along with a detailed explanation of the physics involved in this process.
Thermometry... a Hot Topic
In this Catalyst article, Mike Follows describes the surprising range of thermometers available to scientists today. Many physical properties of materials depend on temperature. Thermometers are vital for measuring body temperature. The body's biochemical reactions work best at 37°C and the body is in serious danger if…
Fracking: an Energy Revolution?
This Catalyst article looks at hydraulic fracking, the process of breaking up rocks deep underground using high-pressure water mixed with sand and chemicals. The process has been used for decades in the energy industry to free oil and gas trapped in rock formations. However, questions have been raised over the environmental impact…
Speak to Me, Lichen
In this Catalyst article, students at La Sainte Union Catholic School in North London investigate the link between lichen species and air pollution around their school. Lichens are indicators of changes in air quality; tolerant species replace those which are sensitive to a given pollutant. This effect is observed across urban…
Hydrogen Powered Cars
As the need to find alternative cleaner forms of energy increases, scientists are looking to technologies, such as Hydrogen Fuel Cells (HFCs), as a power source for transportation. This Catalyst article explains how hydrogen and oxygen gas can be used in a redox reaction to produce electricity, and the harmless by-product, water.…
Alison Foster: a Chemist in the World of Plants
Alison Foster has combined her education in Chemistry with her love of plants to engage in some exciting projects at the University of Oxford Botanic Gardens. This Catalyst article gives a profile of her career choices, and introduces a public engagement activity called Chemistry in the Garden. Alison began her career in the pharmaceutical…
Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies or Weetabix
This Catalyst article looks at how scientists can use material recovered from archaeological sites to see how crops have been introduced to different countries over the history of farming. Three processes by which some plant material can be preserved are explained. The ratio of carbon isotopes from the collagen in animal bone can…
ALICE: Extraordinary Nuclear Adventures Underground
This Catalyst article discusses how experiments using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which discovered the Higgs boson, at the CERN laboratory can tell us about the nature of matter in the early universe. ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is one of the experiments taking place at the LHC. It breaks down nuclear matter into…
Seeing Into Bacteria
This Catalyst article describes how biophysics is helping in the search for novel antibiotics. Bacteria produce an array of proteins to kill off their competitors. These proteins, called bacteriocins, are very efficient at penetrating the defensive outer layers of bacteria cells by moving through specific membrane transporter…
Cum Grano Salis
This Catalyst article looks at salt, in particular the process of extracting salt from the sea in the salt factories of Trapani in Sicily. Located on the west coast of the island, the saline (salt ponds) were probably started by the Phoenicians around 3000 years ago. The article also looks at the structure of salt, how it is…
Seeing the Atoms That Will Shape Our Future
As transistors become smaller, the doping of semi-conductors becomes a significant challenge. This Catalyst article looks at how Scanning Tunnelling Microscopes can be used to manipulate individual atoms, to create electronic devices of unprecedented accuracy. The technique could also be used to fabricate quantum bits, leading to…
Curious About Mars
This Catalyst article looks at NASA's Mars Curiosity rover, the automated chemistry lab which landed safely on Mars in August 2012. Capable of analysing samples from the planet's surface and atmosphere, the rover will undertake two years of experiments in the hope of discovering even more about our neighbouring planet. The…
Skill 6.4 Designing a Scientific Research Poster
These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, gives students an opportunity to design and produce a science poster similar to one that could be presented at a conference. The scientific poster format is an excellent way of presenting students’ work. It necessitates a brief and fluent presentation of…
Skill 6.2 Reflecting on Presentations
These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, help students to reflect on a presentation they have practised and delivered. Working with a partner, they evaluate their presentations to consider points that include: • What were the key points of the presentation? • Were key points made in a clear…
Skill 6.1 Making a Good Presentation
These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, help students to make oral presentations. Students are encouraged to prepare a short presentation and, in doing so, consider the following points: • Who are the audience? • What does their audience know about the subject of the presentation? •…
Skill 5.4 Writing a Scientific Article
These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, challenge students to write a scientific article. Students are presented with a writing brief and guidelines which contain the required structure for their article. The activity could be extended into the production of a class newspaper containing scientific articles…
Skill 5.3 Arranging a Scientific Article
These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, help students to look at the structure of a scientific research paper. The materials contain two activities. Each relates to a scientific paper that is provided in separate sections. Students are presented with the different sections of the paper (also used in…
Skill 5.2 Structuring a Scientific Article
Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, in this activity students examine a scientific article and answer questions which encourage them to consider: • What is the main subject? • Who are the researchers? • Why is the study interesting and important? • What questions does it address? •…
Skill 5.1 Writing a Summary
These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, help students to consider the best way to write an abstract or a short summary. The activity is a useful learning tool as it enables students to: • organise learning materials and texts. • understand and remember information. • focus on the…
Skill 3.5 Identifying Different Types of Text
Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, this activity helps students to further examine scientific texts. Texts can be characterised according to the type of information or knowledge they deal with. There are different kinds of texts and they can be classified and sorted in various ways. This activity focuses on four…
Skill 3.4 Making Sense of a Text
These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, help students to identify different sections in scientific texts which help to create an order and logical progression of the information conveyed. It encourages students to look at how the information is split into several principal types and practise methods for…
Skill 3.3 Understanding the Value of Titles
Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, this activity helps students to consider how useful and informative article titles are. During the activity, students: • browse a scientific article. • look for information such as the author, publication date and content of the abstract. • look for key words…
Skill 3.2 Deciding if an Article is Worth Reading in Detail
These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, help students to look at a text, after an initial skim read, to judge if it is worth considering in more detail. This ‘second glance’ activity serves several aims: • It enables students to assess quickly what is the subject of the article and…
Skill 3.1 Deciding Quickly if an Article is Useful
Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, this activity gives students the opportunity to practise quickly skim-reading a text to assess its usefulness. A guided activity asks students to quickly browse through a scientific article and extract information such as its title, author and the subject of any illustrations and…
Olympic Alloys
This Catalyst article looks at metals and alloys which play an important role in construction at the Olympic site, both in sports equipment and in medals. Designers must consider the properties of the materials used to make both sports equipment and buildings. These include strength, density, toughness, ductility and resistance to…
Going Bananas about Radioactivity
This Catalyst article looks at how humans are exposed to radiation from many different sources, including food. The article describes the doses of radiation from sources such as: • building materials and rocks • bananas • bone scans • cosmic rays • radon gas The article illustrates the constant exposure…
Marie Curie - A Life of Discovery
This Catalyst article looks at Marie Curie, who discovered two radioactive elements and showed that radioactivity was a property of atoms, not compounds. Marie Curie won two Nobel Prizes, the only woman to have done so. She is still the only person to have won awards in both Physics and Chemistry. The article describes her life…