A Catalyst article looking at how plants develop large surface areas both in the air (leaves) and in the soil (root hairs) to get all they need from the environment. The article explores the relationship between plants and soil and looks at new research on fungi in soil and their involvement with the mineral...

A Catalyst article about the use of remote telescopes and detecting cosmic rays. Giant telescopes that can be operated remotely are located in Hawaii and Australia and are known as the Faulkes telescopes.

These are available to students in the UK to do original research with, and enable the following...

A Catalyst article discussing how polymers affect every day of people’s lives. With diverse characteristics and applications their usefulness can only be limited by human imagination. Due to polymers’ widespread and varied use a responsible and systematic recycling programme is both economically and environmentally...

A Catalyst article about the problems of recycling plastics. The article looks at novel uses for products made from recycled plastics. It also looks at the make-up of polymers and the history of their manufacture. Finally, alternatives to plastics are examined.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science...

This Science Community Representing Education (SCORE) report examines the key findings of a review of practical work in primary, secondary and post-16 science education. The report focuses on: * What is meant by practical work in science? * What are the aims and purposes of practical work in science? * What is the...

A Catalyst article about experimenting with waterboatmen and observing how they catch their prey. The equipment required for the activity is described.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2006, Volume 16, Issue 4.

Catalyst ...

A Catalyst article about predators. The article explores some general principles about predator–prey relationships and looks in some detail at the adaptations shown by a predatory insect being used in the control of an insect pest.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1...

A Catalyst article about the human gut and the many microbes it hosts, mainly bacteria. Probiotics are live bacterial ingredients or supplements designed to multiply in the colon and have an impact on health. A prebiotic is a carbohydrate that is not digestible by humans. The article examines the role they play,...

This ACME report from June 2016 looks at problem solving in mathematics, with particular focus on summative assessment.

Within the report ACME welcomes the strong emphasis on problem solving in recent reforms. It calls for "strong collaboration between the mathematics community, the Department for Education...

A Catalyst article describing how process chemists work in the pharmaceutical industry, devising methods of making new drugs. Process chemists are a link in the chain from an initial idea to a new drug making it to the market. It generally takes at least 10 years from an idea by a medicinal chemist to a new...

This Catalyst article looks at the pterosaurs, which were flying reptiles, and which died out along with the dinosaurs. Analysis of the fossil record has increased scientists' knowledge of these creatures and how they lived. Bird watching during the Mesozoic Era, the expanse of time stretching between 245 and 65...

A Catalyst article explaining what happens when a scientist makes an exciting and new discovery. How do scientists manage to tell as many people as possible, and how can they be sure that someone else has not beaten them to it? Writing and publishing research in scientific journals is a long standing and popular...

A Catalyst article about Quantum Tunnelling Composite, a material discovered in 1997 and whose resistance decreases dramatically under pressure. How does it work and what uses will it have? The material has been carefully characterised (to understand its composition and how it works), and its first applications...

This strategy report looks at students' need for high quality information, advice and guidance (IAG) to help them make decisions and enable them to access the support and opportunities they need. This strategy sets out the steps that are being taken to improve the IAG offered, the importance of responding to a...

A Catalyst article which explores how the nervous system works. Sensitivity, the ability to respond to stimulation, is a product of nervous system activity. How nerve impulses pass around the body, and why these responses are so fast are investigated in the article. Neurones, reflexes, synapses and receptors are...