Catalyst Volume 22 Issue 3
This issue of Catalyst includes the following articles:
The Price of Rice
This article looks at how genetics has increased yields of rice, a staple food for billions of people.
What Causes the Aurora?
The aurora borealis is caused by the interaction of the solar wind with the Earth's magnetic field. This article explains how satellites are testing thoeires of how this happens.
The Kilogram
This Catalyst article looks at the changing definition of the kilogram, a unit of mass and a base unit in the SI system (the International System of units).
What's in a Cell?
This Catalyst article explores the complex structure of cells, and numerous theories of how they were formed.
Zombie Invasion
This article looks at how Californians are being encouraged to prepare for the next big earthquake.
Seven Billion - and Counting
The human population of Earth has reached seven billion. This article explores the impact human activity may have on the planet.
Marie Curie - a Life of Discovery
This article looks at Marie Curie who discovered two radioactive elements and showed that radioactivity was a property of atoms, not compounds.
Going Bananas about Radioactivity
This article looks at how we are exposed to radiation from many different sources, including the food we eat - even bananas.
Catalyst is a science magazine for students aged 14-19 years. Annual subscriptions to print copies of the magazine can be purchased from Mindsets.
HEALTH and SAFETY
Any use of a resource that includes a practical activity must include a risk assessment.
Please note that collections may contain ARCHIVE resources, which were developed at a much earlier date.
Since that time there have been significant changes in the rules and guidance affecting laboratory practical work.
Further information is provided in our Health and Safety guidance.
The Price of Rice
This Catalyst article looks at the production of rice, which is a staple food for billions of people. It describes how crop scientists have identified varieties of rice with favourable characteristics, such as flood resistance, and are using them to develop crops with increased yield. Such crops may help to overcome problems caused…
What Causes the Aurora?
This article from Catalyst looks at aurora borealis caused by the interaction of the solar wind with the Earth's magnetic field. It also explains how satellites are testing thoeires of how this happens. Auroral light emission occurs at roughly 100 km altitude. Energetic electrons in the solar wind cause the emission of light…
The Kilogram
This Catalyst article looks at the changing definition of the kilogram, a unit of mass and a base unit in the SI system (the International System of units). It has been found that the International Prototype Kilogram (IPK), made in 1879 and kept in a vault in Paris, has lost about 50microgrammes of mass over the years. This may…
What's in a Cell?
This Catalyst article explores the complex structure of cells, and numerous theories of how they were formed. It describes how the development of electron microscopes has allowed greater detail of cellular strutures and organelles to be understood. The article includes detailed electron micropgraphs, along with descriptions of…
Zombie Invasion
This Catalyst article looks at how Californians are being encouraged to prepare for the next big earthquake. It describes how earthquakes are produced by the relative movement of tectonic plates and how their intensity is measured using the Moment Magnitude scale. The article can be used to stimulate discussion on plate tectonics,…
Seven Billion - and Counting
The human population of Earth has reached seven billion. This Catalyst article explores the impact that human activity may have on the planet. The article looks at the rate of population growth and how human impact is also related on the amount of resources used by an individual. It considers if the effects of human activity could…
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…
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…
Comments
No comments yet