This podcast from the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) Planet Earth Online collection looks at how scientists are using fish scales to figure out why the UK salmon population is falling; and how carbon dioxide emissions from power stations could be used to make household bricks.

Salmon numbers...

This Catalyst article introduces Tom Denbigh who describes how he has worked as a volunteer on scientific projects to gain experience before his degree course.

This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2011...

The Linnaean collections hold many types of specimens (the first member of species to be scientifically described) for taxonomic study. Making use of the Linnaean collection online, this worksheet focuses on Hymenoptera (including bees, wasps and ants). It looks at the importance of the hymenopterans, particularly...

Produced by ARKive, a database of stunning natural history images, this activity is designed to teach students aged 11 to 14 about the identifiable features of different types of animals and how they are classified. The activity is also suitable for students aged 14 to 16 and beyond. Using a quiz format, students...

This worksheet, from the Linnean Society, looks at speciation, dimorphic and polymorphic species and Batesian mimicry. In Batesian mimicry a palatable species mimics an unpalatable one, thus protecting itself from predation. Through a series of questions based on the text, the resource aims to explore this in...

Produced by Understanding Animal Research, this information leaflet looks at how, and why, animals are used in medical research. The information provided by is based on thorough research and understanding of the facts, historical and scientific.

The leaflet is useful as information for teachers and also as...

This video explains the distribution of venomous animals and explains the way venom affects us.

Planetary scientist, Professor Andrew Coates, explains why scientists look for the evidence of signs of past life on Mars.  He talks about the history of Mars and the current harsh environment on the planet. This video is part of a series of ten which look at the one of the elements of the European Space Agency’s...

This video explains the structure of DNA and the role of histones and methyl groups in deactivating one of the X chromosomes in a female.  The deactivation of one X chromosome is random. As mitosis reproduces cells, they may contain the X chromosome inherited from the father or the mother.  This can’t be seen in...

The 2012 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was won by Gurdon and Yamanaka, for their work on adult stem cells.

This Catalyst article explains how they discovered that a nucleus from an egg cell transplanted into a specialised cell can still develop into a fully functional organism. Yamanaka named these...

This  Catalyst article looks at the work of scientists who use biochemical and DNA analysis to learn more about how fungi cause dead wood to decay.

This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2016, Volume 26, Issue 4.

This pack provides a stimulating way of learning about scientific journal articles and highlights the difference between ‘research’ and ‘review’ papers.

It is suggested that students start by watching a silent video showing an unusual behaviour in capuchin monkeys, ‘anointing’, for which there are various...

This collection of resources aimed at secondary school pupils includes a resource produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) to help put hayfever...

On World Bee day help to highlight the importance of bees to the environment and humankind with these useful resources which can be linked to a variety of subjects for different age ranges.

They include activities to help identify different species of bee and bee pollinated plants through to resources...

World Health Day is celebrated annually and each year draws attention to a specific health topic of concern to people all over the world. The date of 7 April marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1948.