Here we plan to bring together links to current up to
date news stories and items that relate to a Global Dimension
to Science. We will frequently review these topics to
ensure that this will be an up to date source for curriculum
related topics.
Here is a small selection of recent articles that you
may find interesting:
Science 1: Scientific Enquiry
This section includes the use of science methods and
investigations to answer questions. Questions of ethics
in science are also included
Hybrids
- ethical debate on human/animal hybrid embryo resesarch
(January 2007)
The Human Fertility and Embryology Authority is being
asked to approve research involving the implanting of
human cell nuclei into animal cells. The researchers
hope to learn more about certain illnesses and to produce
stem cells reliably which, it is hoped, ill lead to
better treatments. This website includes a Q&A link,
quotes from scientists engaged in the research and a
link to an organisation
BBC Radio visits a Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory (July 2007)
Radio 5 Live broadcast from Pfizers laboratory in Kent and reported on the progress in development of an anti-HIV drug. Hear one of the scientists who first identified the molecule at the heart of the drug explain, with slides, the way that the HIV virus attacks a wide blood cell. The page also has film from inside a lab carrying out testing on rats.
WWF Pakistan fits GPS to snow leopard (November
2006)
The World Wildlife Fund in Pakistan has succeeded in
attaching a global positioning system device to a snow
leopard - a rare and elusive animal. This will enable
scientists to track the animal's movements accurately.
Read how international collaboration and new technology
are helping to protect this endangered species
Natural
History Museum site on the different species that
could have been our ancestors.
...................................................................................................................................Return
to the top of page
Science 2: Life Processes and Living
Things
This section includes issues related to humans, other
animals and plants - their lives, environments, inter-relationships,
classifications, variations and diversity.
Humans
This includes the topics of diet and health, alcohol
and drugs (environmental impact, advertising), common
diseases including infectious water borne diseases,
costs, access and alternatives to tradtitional medicines.
Gigs, clubs and pubs damaging hearing. (July 2007)
New laws in 2008 mean workers in these places will get more protection from excessive noise (`music). The general limit for workplaces is 80dB. A survey has shown that 90% of young people can show signs of hearing damage after a night out and the survey gives advice on reducing this.
Malaria
- a holiday hazard and a daily killer for millions.
Be prepared. (JULY 2006)
The BBC recently repeated their broadcast of a rock
concert from Senegal - many of the biggest names in
African music performed for 60,000 fans in a bid to
raise funds and awareness to `Roll Back Malaria'. The
illness is said to kill an African child every 30 seconds.
Its control is included in the millennium
development goals and it has been in the news in
the UK, with questions raised over homeopathic remedies
against it. Many UK children will have travelled to
malaria regions or know people who have - the following
links help to explain about the illness.
Roll
Back Malaria videos and other information
The
lifecycle of the parasite is explained
Mosquito
Game and information
Science UPD8 has a great class activity including children
acting as government advisors on the ways science can
help to protect us from `bird flu'
Other Animals
This includes topics relating to pressures in different
natural environments, opportunists and alien species.
Worm Charming Championships (July 2007)
What brings worms to the surface – the competitors in the World Worm Charming Championships have lots of ingenious ideas – why not try some of the techniques. Learn interesting facts about how worms live , their vital role in the environment and some of the different species that live in Britain
Hedgehogs
confused by climate change (December 2006)
The pattern of the seasons is changing and this has
affected hedgehogs, with the normal pattern of hibernation
and reproduction disrupted.
You can be part of the scientific investigation of
this issue. The
Nature Detectives website asks you to collect
information as part of a wide scale phenology project
(the science of the influence of climate on recurring
natural phenomena)
World
Cup threat to swallows (November 2006)
The football world cup in South Africa in 2010 could
be a threat to the birds we see through the Summer in
Europe. Swallows could find their roosting area too
close a new airport to be built ready for the football
fans.
Hens
with big `hairdos' get more sex (November
2006)
The cockerels are obviously far less sophisticated in
choosing a mate than are male humans.
Extinct
(in Britain) butterfly makes a comeback. (October
2006)
 |
The hot summer weather
helped to increase the population of the reintroduced
(after British extinction) large blue butterfly.
This story illustrates the delicate interdependence
of some apparently quite separate life cycles. The
organisation Butterfly Conservation, working with
Natural England and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
has successfully reintroduced the species in parts
of England.
Photo: Dave Simcox of Butterfly Conservation
|
Read
about the recovery project and the maybe even visit the
site in Somerset where one of the colonies is living
What killed the Crocodile Man? (September 2006)
Steve Irwin, the Australian wildlife enthusiast was
killed by a stingray. Stingrays are adapted to hide
in sea bed sediment and to protect themselves against
sharks and killer whales with a flat body and a long,
barbed and venomous tail. Read about its life and a
new threat to the species.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5311298.stm
What to do if someone is stung by a stingray!
This link has detailed medical information but includes
the most effective way to treat a stingray venom wound
for first aiders. What should a first aider do and why
does it work? - there is a parallel with the action
of enzymes.
Green Plants
This includes topics relating to climate and geography,
uses of plants, economic importance of plants (including
fair trade, import tariffs and food miles), agricultural
methods (including fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides,
biological control and greenhouses)
Biofuels: What is the whole picture.(July2007)
The price of tackling climate change by the use of more biofuels isn’t as simple a solution as some people think. The June edition of School Science Review contains information on the overall carbon impact of biofuels and bio-ethanol and compares these with conventional fuels. New Scientist looks at the other issue: the effect that biofuel production has on the environment, other agriculture and the cost of food.
Chickpeas - the foundation of a great civilisation
(January 2007)
The humble chickpea is known as good source of protein,
vitamins and fibre, but it also contains tryptophan
- an amino acid precursor of serotonin - a chemical
which improves mood. Tryptophan is used in modern medicine
to treat depression and it also helps with ovulation.
The people living in Mesopotamia 11,000 years ago persevered
in cultivating chick peas and their civilisation flourished
- happy and fertile!
Organic
Food: Why? (January 2007)
A Government minister has said that organic food is
no healthier than intensively produced food. Are we
being fooled into buying expensive goods or are there
other benefits. The
Soil Association describes the reasons for and
the environmental and animal welfare benefits of organic
food.
Organic food often costs more than non-organic in the
supermarkets. How would you make your decisions. The
document linked below gives some organic and non-organic
food prices and asks which you would choose.
Link to Shopping
List
...................................................................................................................................Return
to the top of page
Science 3: Materials and their Properties
This section includes types of chemical and materials,
their development, uses and effects.
What happens to old computers? ( July 2007)
A new EU law means that unwanted electronic equipment like computers has to be recycled, and the toxic elements they contain should be recovered to avoid them contaminating the environment. Take a look at some of the elements used in making computers (and this is one without a battery!).
Death
of Momofuku Ando (January 2007)
You may not recognise the name, but there is a good
chance you have used his invention. Ando combined traditional
cuisine and a modern waterproof and hygienic material
in his native Japan to help tackle post war food shortages.
What do you think his invention was?
Russian killed by Polonium (November 2006)
A former Russian agent was apparently killed by
Polonium - an element discovered by Marie Curie in 1898
and named after her native country - Poland. An extremely
toxic and radioactive isotope, 210Po has also been used
to generate heat for lunar exploration vehicles.
Separating materials and saving lives (November 2006)
Arsenic in underground water supplies is a serious
problem in Bangladesh. It is difficult for people
to know whether it is present and to remove it if it
is. Students at Edinburgh University have developed
a method of testing
the water on bacteria, and engineers from the USA
have found a way to use rust
and magnetism to make the water safer.
More sustainable packaging at supermarket (September
2006)
The supermarket company Sainsbury's is increasing its
use of Compostable
packaging - this should help to reduce the amount
of waste that its customers put into landfill. Schools
with compost bins could test the different sorts of
packaging that carry the `compostable' label.
....................................................................................................................................Return
to the top of page
Science 4: Physical Processes
This section includes energy resources and sustainability,
waves, forces and the `Earth and Beyond'.
Hailstones in the middle of Summer (July 2007)
Every time this happens we are all surprised, but hail is Summer is quite common. Read how heavy the biggest recorded hailstone in Britain was, how hailstones are formed by condensing and freezing, and what a hailstone looks like on the inside.
Mobile
phones in Africa. (January 2007)
How have mobile phones changed our lives? This may
include texting, calling your family and friends and
taking photos. In many African countries, the technology
is also changing the way people live and work but in
ways different to in Europe.
Read how phones are used to check market prices, to
send money to each other through a system called M-PESA
and to keep the Mombasa minibuses on the road.
What extra ways could we use mobile phones in this
country?
Nuclear
fusion agreement signed (November 2006)
Fusing light nuclei rather than splitting heavy ones
could provide significant energy in the future, and
several countries have signed a research agreement to
continue its development. A teenager in the US claims
to have achieved fusion in his parents' garage - see
the contraption he built
Dark
Energy - A theory of why the universe's expansion is
accelerating. (November 2006)
Physicists and astronomers using the Hubble telescope
have presented their study on dark energy - one of the
big science questions of today.
Saving electricity: (September 2006)
A device that encourage energy conservation is described
in the Indpendent of 4th September. The device, `KillaWatt:
A device to display how much electrical energy is being
used.
http://www.p3international.com
Another device featured, is a wind powered bicycle
light. The relative air movement spins the blades which
charge a small battery. The same design company's website
also shows a solar vest - so that your mobile phone
and music player can be charged whilst you walk around
on a sunny day!
http://www.duckimage.co.tw
(use the links for SML and future energy)
European Moon probe lands (September 2006)
The European moon probe SMART-1 has (crash) landed
on the moon after its mission to photograph and analyse
the materials on the moon was finished. Its
novel fuel system meant that it took much longer
to reach the moon but didn't need to store as much fuel.
Phew what a scorcher (July 2006)
A lot of Britain is experiencing strong sunshine -
but we all know the dangers of too much sun. Use the
links below for help pupils learn to understand the
information they are given on the weather forecast and
from sunscreen manufacturers.
The met office website http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uv/uv_uk.html
explains the relationship between skin type and risk
and the UV monitoring stations data to which it links,
shows how the risk changes during the day, and at what
time of day you need to use protection. The UK statistical
office education site, http://www.stats4schools.gov.uk
includes a project on the use of sunscreen and includes
data on the incidence of melanoma.
http://www.summerskin.com/
has lots of short videos about skin care in the sun,
choosing the right sunscreen etc.
Discovery Space Shuttle returns from the Space Station
(July 2006)
The space station provides lots of scientific information
about the Earth and the changes that are happening on
it. This NASA photo is shows chlorophyll concentrations
in the oceans during Spring - what would cause the variations?
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/index.html
....................................................................................................................................Return
to the top of page
|
