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Showing 10 results from a total of 335

Understand issue5thomasreiter
| Issue 5

Down to Earth: interview with Thomas Reiter

Shortly before Christmas 2006, German ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter returned from the International Space Station. A month later, Barbara Warmbein asked him about his trip, the experiments he did – and how to become an astronaut.

Ages: 11-14, 14-16, 16-19;
Topics: Physics, Biology, Astronomy / space
     

Understand issue5stress
| Issue 5

Taking the stress out of engineering

Darren Hughes from the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, France takes a look at stress. How can it be manipulated to make safer rails for trains or more efficient wind turbines – and what can we learn from neutron- and X-ray analysis?

Ages: 14-16, 16-19;
Topics: Physics, Chemistry, Engineering
     

Understand issue5plastic
| Issue 5

Plastics, naturally

We sit on them, wear them and cook with them: plastics are everywhere. Yet this very versatility makes it difficult to produce and dispose of plastics in environmentally friendly ways. David Bradley explains how researchers at the University of Manchester, UK, are working on a solution.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19;
Topics: Biology, Chemistry, Earth science
                 

Understand issue5peer
| Issue 5

Developing a teaching resource on peer review

Ellen Raphael from the charity Sense About Science explains why peer review is so important in science, and describes how an existing guide is being adapted to meet the needs of science teachers.

Ages: not applicable;
Topics: Science and society
 

Understand issue5orangutan
| Issue 5

Synchrotron light illuminates the orang-utan’s obscure origins

Paul Tafforeau from the University of Poitiers and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France, explains what synchrotron X-ray studies of fossil teeth can tell us about the evolution of orang-utans – and our own origins.

Ages: 16-19;
Topics: Physics, Biology
     

Understand issue5fusion
| Issue 5

Fusion in the Universe: where your jewellery comes from

Does alchemy sound too good to be true? Paola Rebusco, Henri Boffin and Douglas Pierce-Price, from ESO in Garching, Germany, describe how creating gold – and other heavy metals – is possible, though sadly not in the laboratory.

Ages: 16-19;
Topics: Physics, Astronomy / space
             

Understand issue5damniles
| Issue 5

Damn lies

Do you have more than the average number of ears? Is your salary lower than average? When will the next bus arrive? Ben Parker attempts to convince us of the value of statistics – when used correctly.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19;
Topics: Mathematics
     

Understand issue4witchmedicine
| Issue 4

Plant hallucinogens as magical medicines

Did witches once soar through the night sky on broomsticks? Or were they hallucinating after eating or touching certain plants? Angelika Börsch-Haubold explains how modern pharmacology helps us to understand the action of many toxic plants – some of which are still used in medicine.

Ages: 16-19;
Topics: Biology, Chemistry
     

Understand issue4spider silk
| Issue 4

Silken, stretchy and stronger than steel!

Could spider silk be the answer to medical and military challenges? Giovanna Cicognani from the Institut Laue-Langevin and Montserrat Capellas from the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, France, investigate Christian Riekel and Tilo Seydel’s research into this remarkable material.

Ages: 16-19;
Topics: Physics, Biology, Chemistry
           

Understand issu4rosenthal
| Issue 4

Ethics in research

Is it acceptable to use human embryonic stem cells in research? What about live animals? Professor Nadia Rosenthal, head of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Monterotondo, Italy, talks to Russ Hodge about the ethics of her research.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19;
Topics: Biology