Graham Gardner from the Inter-Community School in Zürich, Switzerland, describes how an attempt to interest his students in chemical separation techniques developed into a full-scale interdisciplinary detective mystery.
The challenge can be read in ‘The joy of discovery: a personal experience‘ The trail from which Comet West was discovered is indicated by an arrow Image courtesy of ESO
Catch a Star!, an international competition for school students, is starting its fifth year. Douglas Pierce-Price from ESO invites students from all over the world to take part.
Dave Goulson and Ben Darvill from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust at the University of Stirling, UK, explain why these furry insects are under threat – and what schools can do to help.
Ages: <11, 11-14, 14-16, 16-19; Topics: Biology, General science
The book, written in German, describes a great variety of experiments using plants. The experiments are at different levels of difficulty and often explain everyday observations. The chapter titles focus on certain parts of plants and provide detailed information on plant physiology. The required…
Emm Barnes from the British Society for the History of Science describes an initiative to develop exciting interdisciplinary activities. And gives the recipe for a delicious edible geology project!
Ages: 14-16; Topics: Biology, Earth science, Science and society, General science
Are migratory birds responsible for the spread of bird flu? Should we kill them all? Lucienne Niekoop and Froukje Rienks from the Netherlands Institute of Ecology argue for a more scientific approach.
Ever wondered what - and who - lies behind the beautiful and fascinating astronomical photographs and observations made with modern telescopes? Douglas Pierce-Price from ESO, the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, describes a day in the life of the Very…
Ages: 14-16, 16-19; Topics: Physics, Astronomy / space
One hour and 34 minutes after the bright tail of the Kosmos 3M rocket disappeared from view, more than one hundred students are checking their watches nervously. The first signal from their satellite should arrive any minute. Barbara Warmbein, from the European Space Agency in Noordwijk, the…