A Catalyst article about ants. A colony consists of hundreds, even thousands, of ants working diligently and cooperatively, perhaps to kill and carry a large prey item, build a large nest structure or develop and use road-like networks for foraging. Collectively, colonies of social insects can do amazing things and...

In this resource, aimed at primary level, children take measurements of their height using leaves. Using different sized leaves to measure different children, and then comparing their actual height with that measured in leaves, will help them to see the importance of using standard measurements.

Produced by...

Published by the Wellcome Trust, the 'Big Picture' explores issues around biology and medicine. This issue looks at the interplay between the biology that sculpts our form and the culture that interprets and adapts it.

This activity highlights...

The human body is an amazing piece of engineering. For thousands of years it has kept us running, thinking and, best of all, staying alive! But are there scientific innovations that we can use to make our bodies even better?

This activity investigates what conditions plants need to grow and why lack of light alters plant growth. It is part of a larger resource which looks at plants at primary level, ...

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.

From the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, this resource introduces the Human Genome Project (HGP).

A short animation gives:

* an introduction to DNA and genomes;

* an overview of which countries were involved in the international Human Genome Project;

* a description of the processes,...

The animal kingdom contains an abundance of exquisite natural patterns from the stripes of an angelfish to the spots of a leopard. But how do these arise during early development? This Catalyst article looks at Turing mechanisms as a way of explaining how patterns develop as an animal grows.

In 1952, Alan...

This resource, aimed at upper primary level, provides six activities to find the height of a tree. Linked to the topics of measurement, geometry and ratio it provides an opportunity for estimating, measuring and calculating. Teachers’ notes are provided which outline each method, along with a children’s worksheet...

From the Science Museum, this set of short videos contains tip from the museum's Punk Science team for making science demonstrations fun and exciting! The presenters look to involve volunteers in their presentations and have deliberately chosen not to use sophisticated props. Using this approach enables the Punk...

This resource provides a cross-curricular design and technology project which links to work on the lungs and respiration. Children design and make a device to measure maximal exhalation volume. They also discover more about the work of biomedical engineers throughout the process. This resource was designed for use...

This unit asks students to consider the range of factors and the implications of human technological enhancements, focussing on brain-computer interfaces.

Human enhancements can be used to improve human functioning, such as a cochlea implant can help deaf people hear. This unit looks at other technological...

From the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, these resources will help students to understand the processes involved in the sequencing of DNA and the Human Genome Project. Animations illustrate: * The Human Genome Project (HGP) * DNA sequencing * Producing DNA libraries * Subcloning of DNA The information is quite...

From Arkive, this presentation and activity are designed to teach students aged 11-14 about the concept of human impacts on the environment. The presentation explains how human impacts can directly affect species survival, using plastic waste as an example. The activities then encourage students to consider how the...