One of a series of articles for post-16 students published by Science and Plants for Schools (SAPS). Chloroplasts evolved from photosynthetic bacteria and contain DNA encoding a remnant of their original bacterial genes. 

This booklet discusses how the study of chloroplast genes has helped biologists...

A collection of images representing semi conservative DNA replication:

Illustration depicting semi-conservative DNA replication 1. Three generations of DNA are shown. After separation of the DNA double helix, two new complementary DNA strands are synthesised (indicated by a new colour)....

This issue of Catalyst includes the following articles:

Diving Deep

Many mammal species can dive to great depths. This article explores how their bodies are adapted to cope with the great pressures involved.

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Published by the Wellcome Trust, the 'Big Picture' explores issues around biology and medicine.

In recent years, great progress has been made in genome sequencing and understanding the huge amount of data produced....

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 document provides a quick way to assess your department's enhancement and enrichment provision. It is based on one of the threads in the National STEM Learning Centre and Network’s Self-Evaluation Tool.  The Self-Evaluation Tool is based on...

The videos in this collection from teachers TV are aimed at secondary school science practitioners. They contain materials that can be used in the classroom, as stimulus material.

Clips in this section cover a wide range of topics, including:
* astronomy, space and the solar system
* Earth...

This Catalyst article explores 'Biomodels', biological species which are increasingly well-understood and which have been chosen because they can help us to test new biological theories, particularly in the field of genetics.

This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2011, Volume 22, Issue 2....

From the Microbiology Society, this resource contains information about biofilms. These are communities of microbial cells attached to a surface. For example, the slime lining plugholes and drains or the rough deposit that can coat teeth at the end of the day. The information clearly describes: * What are biofilms...

Geosciences, or geology, are the scientific study of the structure, evolution and dynamics of the earth and its natural resources. A Levels: Biology, Geology, Chemistry

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...

Produced by the Royal Astronomical Society, this booklet examines the possibility of extraterrestrial life in the Universe. Many astronomers believe that there is life out there, but where is it? Is there life comparatively nearby, in our Solar System, or do we have to look to planets beyond the solar system that...

This Catalyst article looks at sexual selection, a form of natural selection, and the role it plays in the evolution of many organisms. The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014, Volume 24, Issue 4.

Catalyst is a science...

This video discusses how data is coded and stored. It takes a look at the genetic code in humans and shows how it could be stored as 1.5Gb of data.

This Catalyst article looks at the work of Alfred Russel Wallace who developed a theory of evolution in parallel with Charles Darwin; they published their findings jointly. As a scientist he was interested in lots of different things, from how different species came into existence to the question of whether ghosts...