Resources by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme

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...

How Science Works in Africa

A Catalyst article about a Kenyan scientist who is searching for better treatments for malaria, a disease which kills more than a million people in Africa each year. The article also explains some of the challenges of doing science in Africa, where funding is low. Often the illness shows a remarkable ability to...

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...

How the Leopard Gets Its Spots

The animal kingdom contains an abundance of exquisite natural patterns from the stripes of an angelfish to the spots of a leopard. But how do these arise during early development? This Catalyst article looks at Turing mechanisms as a way of explaining how patterns develop as an animal grows.

In 1952, Alan...

Hubble Explores a Barred Spiral Galaxy

A Catalyst article about the Hubble telescope exploring a barred spiral galaxy, known as NGC1672 in the astronomers’ New General Catalogue. The image was made by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and was released in April 2007. NGC 1672 is situated 60 million light years away, in the constellation of Dorado. The...

Hurricanes

A Catalyst article about Hurricane Katrina which caused many deaths in August 2005, and vast damage along the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico in the USA. Hurricanes are an unfamiliar phenomenon here in the UK. Why is this? And can people expect to see more hurricanes in future as a result of climate change? The...

Hydrogels - Water-Absorbing Polymers

A Catalyst article about hydrogels. Soft contact lenses, disposable nappies, hair gel and plant water crystals all make use of substances called hydrogels. These are polymers which have the unusual property of being able to absorb huge quantities of water. The article looks at the structure of hydrogels and their...

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...

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.

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ICT in Practical Science: New Approaches to Data Collection and Analysis

These resources were developed by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme and the Centre for Science Education at Sheffield Hallam University in order to demonstrate new ways that ICT can be used to enhance practical work in science. Research scientists use computer technology in both the collection and the...