This Catalyst article looks at a newspaper report, which carried the headline “It’s life, but not as we know it”, following NASA’s supposed discovery of a ‘second form of life’. The scientific paper, published by the eminent journal Science, even created widespread speculation about the existence of extra-...

A Catalyst article about working in materials science and engineering, the process of deciding which material is best for each application. The structure of materials, processing them and working in jobs and careers with them are explained.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2007, Volume 17,...

A Catalyst article about John Snow who discovered the cause of cholera, how it spreads and how to avoid it. Snow's work is what is now referred to as epidemiology and his persistent investigative work and resulting publications resulted in health authorities using his findings.

This article is from Catalyst...

A Catalyst article about physicists working at Europe’s Large Hadron Collider who hope to have received the first results from what is probably the biggest, most expensive and most ambitious scientific experiment ever carried out. Later, they hope to solve the mystery of the fundamental forces of nature.

The...

A Catalyst article about modern car engines and how they can run smoothly and propel drivers for thousands of miles without needing much attention, apart from refuelling with diesel or petrol. The engine also needs oil. The article describes engine oil, its composition and ingredients, how it works and how to...

A Catalyst article about homeostasis describing how the process enables birds and mammals to be active on cold days when other species are not.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2004, Volume 14, Issue 3.

Catalyst is...

A presentation highlighting seven strategies for behaviour management.

This review, published by the Nuffield Foundation, presents a synthesis of research on mathematics learning by children from the age of five to the age of sixteen years and identifies the issues that are fundamental to understanding children’s mathematics learning. The report concentrates on three main questions...

A Catalyst article discussing how the human body has to handle all sorts of variations, balancing its inputs and outputs, if it is to work efficiently. The article concentrates on one organ, the kidney, and the way it helps to keep things on an even keel through the functions of homeostasis and excretion. What...

A Catalyst article about light emitting diodes and how they are more energy efficient than existing light bulbs which waste most of the energy they receive. The article explains how LEDs work and how they can be applied in traffic lights. Creating white light from LEDs is difficult and the article looks at possible...

A Catalyst article about devising better, more energy-efficient lighting. In particular the article focuses on LEDs. Like food, water, clothing and shelter, light is essential to daily life and is needed by most people for most of their waking hours. The article explains how LEDs work and how they are made.

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In July 2010, 21 years after the National Curriculum was first introduced, the Wellcome Trust convened a seminar to reflect on the impact of the National Curriculum for science. Presented in this report are views that emerged from the seminar where delegates considered the National Curriculum’s initial development...

This report aimed to identify practical examples of good practice that promote good behaviour and that can be adopted by all schools. The authors identified aspects of practice that create the right conditions for good behaviour to be learnt. The authors further comment that whilst school staff work hard to support...

This report, commissioned by the Royal Academy of Engineering (the Academy), explores the ways schools can create better and more engaging learning opportunities for would-be engineers.

This report identifies four principles that underpin the kinds of teaching that are most...

A Catalyst article investigating if there is life elsewhere in the universe. Scientists have found many different ways of looking for life. This article looks at the exploration so far.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2004, Volume 14, Issue 3.

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