In order to avoid predators, the caterpillars of some species of moths rest during the day by masquerading as twigs, well-camouflaged and keeping their bodies rigid and still. The aim of the investigation is to determine if caterpillars of the peppered moth show a preferred angle of rest. Students look at a series...

Many sea creatures such as crabs and shell fish are affected greatly by the levels of acid and temperatures of the ocean they live in as it prevents their outer shell development. This can lead to a depletion in numbers and a knock on effect along the food chain.

These resources include practical activities...

In this resource from SAPS, students learn about random sampling, diversity and different measures of abundance, before looking at close-up photographs of quadrats and using the field guide to identify them. The resources are intended to help students develop skills and plant identification techniques before going...

This online ecology practical, by SAPS, is designed to give students an opportunity to see how systematic sampling can be used to

• investigate changes in species richness across a footpath
• the distribution of species across a footpath

These online exercises are not intended as a...

This ASAB (Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour) resource pack focuses on parental behaviour in nuthatches, in particular the parent-chick interactions during feeding.

The resource provides a summary of the key events in the rearing of a nuthatch brood and a film of parent-chick interactions during...

Produced by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), this interactive resource looks at the people and processes involved in the development of a new medicine. Developing a medicine takes about 10 to 12 years and involves a number of phases. This resource looks at the researchers involved and...

This practical activity, from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), investigates the process of respiration. Suggestions are given for looking at different fruits or vegetables and measuring the respiratory rate during the ripening process.

This Science in the Environment pack from the University of York Science Education Group uses the context of woodland and tropical rainforest ecosystems to introduce a variety of scientific content and skills.  

Features of pack 2:

• Contexts: woodland ecosystems, tropical...

The University of York Science Education Group ensured that all the Science in the Environment packs were organised according to broad environmental themes. Within each pack, a number of specific contexts were used to introduce the science content. In addition, each...

The University of York Science Education Group ensured that all the Science in the Environment packs were organised according to broad environmental themes. Within each pack, a number of specific contexts were used to introduce the science content. In addition, each...

This Mathematics Matters case study, from the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, discusses the importance of statistics and computing to developments in medical research. Sequencing the human genome was a fantastic achievement, but it was only the beginning. Now, statisticians are coming up with new...

Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this investigation looks at stomatal opening and closing in Commelina communis (Asiatic dayflower). This is achieved by varying the turgor of the guard cells by bathing lower epidermal peels in solutions of different osmotic strengths. Changes in guard cell...

A series of case studies from the Medical Research Council (MRC) which demonstrate the impact of research on society.

There are many factors that influence the healthcare we receive at the doctor's surgery - the story usually begins with discoveries by scientists working in laboratories. Once scientists spot...

This animation shows the major stages of subcloning. This is the process of breaking up fragments of DNA from BAC clones into smaller more manageable pieces for DNA sequencing. This process was very important during the Human Genome Project. Subcloning involves several standard molecular biology techniques...