This Catalyst article looks at the Higgs boson, a fundamental particle discovered by scientists at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, Geneva, on July 4th 2012, after it was first predicted almost 50 years earlier. The Higgs boson is predicted by the ‘Standard Model’, which makes up the set of fundamental...

A Catalyst article describing how the VISTA telescope, which is located in Chile, works. It detects infrared radiation - electromagnetic radiation beyond the red end of the spectrum. This has two great benefits:

*The telescope can detect radiation from distant stars which are otherwise hidden behind clouds...

A Catalyst article about the Kepler spacecraft, which is used to look for extra-solar planets. Scientists are hoping to shine light on the age old question of life’s existence elsewhere in the Universe using a new space-based telescope named Kepler. Launched on 6 March 2009, Kepler is searching the sky for small,...

Heating accounts for over half of the energy used in homes in the UK. This Catalyst article looks at buildings designed to cut heating demand almost to zero. There are over 70,000 passive houses in Europe – just a few of them in the UK. To be described as ‘passive’, a house must meet strict criteria for energy use...

A Catalyst article about the problems of badgers transmitting tuberculosis to cattle, but is a cull of badgers a solution to the problem? When cattle are found to be suffering from tuberculosis, a disease which can be passed onto humans, they are routinely slaughtered. It is known that badgers can transmit the...

A Catalyst article exploring the testing of new medicines to see if they are safe for people to take. The effects on cells of a potential new drug are investigated using tissue cultures of human or animal cells. Some tissue cultures use fresh tissue samples, but most come from well-established laboratory cell...

There has been a great deal of research into footedness in football. However, careful observations of what players do on the pitch reveal that the elite football heroes are much more one-footed than it was previously assumed. David Carey of Bangor University looks into the issue.

The article is from Catalyst...

A Catalyst article describing the species that have had the greatest impact on planet Earth during its billions of years of history. Which come out on top of the 'league table of life'? As hominids have only walked the Earth for part of its existence the article looks at the history of life, from the dawn of...

A Catalyst article about increased levels of carbon dioxide causing global warming. The atmosphere is being polluted when fossil fuels such as petrol are burnt releasing carbon dioxide. Despite concern about global warming, it seems nobody wants to use their cars less. The article looks at what can be done to...

This Catalyst article describes how the distribution of volcanoes across the Earth’s surface tells scientists about the underlying pattern of tectonic plates. Much can been learned about volcanoes by observing them from orbiting spacecraft.

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This Catalyst article describes how the salty water in the oceans has some consequences for how the ocean water mixes – or does not mix. There are distinct bodies of water in the oceans which mix only very slowly. The experiments detailed in the article will explain why this is.

The article is from Catalyst...

This Catalyst article introduces Tom Denbigh who describes how he has worked as a volunteer on scientific projects to gain experience before his degree course.

This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2011...

From the Centre for Science Education, and with support from Shell Education services, these materials help children to learn about electrical circuits in a fun and engaging manner. A variety of electrical circuits are used to make a clown with a nose that lights up and a bow tie that spins. Children use a range of...

This resource, aimed at primary learners, provides several activity sheets which support the teaching of everyday materials and their uses. The sheets, which could be used in class or for homework, look at identifying materials common objects are made from and discussing their uses, natural and manufactured...

This activity suitable for primary children looks at what plants need to grow and the structure and function of plants. Children grow an Amaryllis plant and observe what happens over time. A number of activities linked to mathematics may then be carried out, including measuring, drawing graphs, considering symmetry...