A Catalyst article providing examples of some drugs derived from natural substances. Many drugs which are commonly used today are similar to naturally occurring compounds which have been used for centuries to treat illnesses. Chemists have identified and purified these substances. By determining their molecular...

A Catalyst article about the Open-Air Laboratory (OPAL) project. Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) is an England-wide initiative that has received a grant from the Big Lottery Fund to bring scientists and local communities closer together. The project hopes to uncover new insights into the world by encouraging people to...

This document was published by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills in December 2011, and sets out the programme of work required to take forward the reform of FE and skills system for adults aged 19 and over in England. The report was based on the principles set out in Skills for Sustainable Growth...

A Catalyst article investigating what nitrogen and its compounds are used for. Nitrogen is colourless, odourless, non-toxic and inert, and has a wide range of uses. Nitrogen makes up seventy eight per cent of the Earth’s atmosphere by volume and has a considerable influence on respiration in plants and animals. The...

This Catalyst article looks at the work of field ecologists, discussing how ecological studies require the gathering and processing of large amounts of data. This article looks at how ant populations are studied in the field and how their study can produce information about the way living organisms exist in the...

This Catalyst article looks at OIF (Ocean Iron Fertilization) a process of pouring iron into the oceans. The theory behind it is to slow climate change by using a process that already occurs naturally. Nature has a way to draw carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air down into the ocean. If the process could be speeded up...

This Catalyst article describes the work of scientists detecting changes in the oceans. The working lives of three oceanographic scientists who are investigating the Gulf Stream are examined, as is the requirement for them to work closely with experts in other fields, such as: engineers, software developers and...

This report from Ofsted is of a one day conference for representatives of LEA areas. The theme was good practice in science investigation and enquiry and how this important part of the primary science curriculum could be further enhanced. The report gives the inspection findings and summary of wider findings.

This document from Ofsted was designed to provide the wider science education community with a summary of inspection findings for primary and secondary schools for the academic year 2003-2004. The report drew on the detailed data gathered by Section 10 Inspections and gave not only the current view but changes to...

This Catalyst article looks at oil production in Trinidad and Tobago. The oil refining process and method are explained. The article also investigates the resulting human impact on the environment.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2003, Volume 13, Issue 4.

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This Catalyst article looks at how computer games make increasingly sophisticated use of the laws of physics to produce convincing on-screen effects. From calculating the angle that a ball bounces off a wall to modelling the frictional forces on a rally car, physics has always played a part in the development of...

This report from Ofsted looks at City and Islington College which is one of the biggest national providers of science in further education. The college has developed a broad range of cutting-edge science provision and established itself as a regional centre of excellence for science.

• The college has...

A Catalyst article about oxygen and how it is essential for most respiration, which goes on all the time in all live cells all living organisms. The article looks at how organisms get the oxygen they need from their surroundings and how it reaches cells. It also explores how oxygen transport is monitored, which of...

This study unit offers some practical strategies that teachers use to improve the climate for learning. The techniques suggested are tried and tested; they draw on both academic research and the experience of practising teachers.

Published in 2009 by LSIS, this report describes action research carried out by Greenhead College. The research project was to develop a peer mentoring scheme in chemistry to help students who struggle with the difference in demands that AS courses make compared to GCSE. In turn, it is hoped that this will lead to...