A Catalyst article about the use of fruit flies in research about genetic diseases and in particular the study of DNA and how genes can cause disease. Scientists have studied the effects of placing new DNA into the chromosomes of fruit flies. One line of research is to utilise fruit flies with the human gene...

This Catalyst article investigates how plants can be grown in orbiting spacecraft and how this may be useful in future manned space missions.

The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014, Volume 25, Issue 3.

Catalyst is a...

This Catalyst article looks at how you can collect iron micro-meteorites using a magnet. 

A Catalyst article explaining how a Geiger counter works through the use of captioned illustrations.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2004, Volume 15, Issue 1.

Catalyst is a science magazine for students aged 14-19 years...

A Catalyst article looking at how gel electrophoresis is used in DNA fingerprinting. Gel electrophoresis is used to separate big molecules, in particular nucleic acids and proteins. To learn more about the structure and function of large molecules such as DNA and proteins, they can be broken up into smaller...

A Catalyst article about the life and work of Gertrude B. Elion a pioneer in anti-viral drugs. The ground breaking research methodology she used and her work in creating and investigating purine compounds lead to the development of drugs which are used in the treatment of leukaemia.

This article is from...

This Catalyst article investigates Glaciologists. Glaciologists are scientists who study glaciers and the effect climate change is having on them.

The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2015, Volume 26, Issue 1.

Catalyst is...

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...

Sustainability is a high priority for the London organising committee for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This Catalyst article looks at their aim for all spectators to be able to get to the Olympic Park via public transport or by walking or cycling. In particular, the article focuses on the railway services...

This article investigates the Earth’s magnetic field and discusses, since it is weakening, if it could go into reverse?

The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2015, Volume 26, Issue 1.

Catalyst is a science magazine for...

This fully working Python project demonstrates a method of creating a gradient fill, to add depth to flat looking rectangles. It also shows how to use transparency effects to change the shape of gradient filled surfaces, how to plot points of a circle, and some examples of why you would want to do so. The activity...

This Catalyst article explores gravitational waves which have been observed for the first time, a century after they were first predicted by Albert Einstein.

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

A Catalyst article about green chemistry. Many reactions take place in solution. Water is a familiar solvent but there are many others, including a rather surprising one, carbon dioxide, which is a non-polluting ‘green’ solvent. The chemical industry relies on solvents to produce many everyday products, such as:...

A Catalyst article about using computers to crunch data from CERN. The article looks at GridPP, a UK computing grid for handling particle physics data.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2007, Volume 17, Issue 4.

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This Catalyst article looks at some of the unusual features of water and especially the way it behaves when it is frozen. The article explains the properties of water and how it behaves at different temperatures with the aid of illustrations showing its molecular structure. Some unusual scientific ideas are also...