Beat Blattmann and Patrick Sticher from the University of Zürich, Switzerland, explain the science behind protein crystallography and provide a protocol for growing your own crystals from protein – an essential method used by scientists to determine protein structures.
Catching the influenza virus can be more than just a nuisance: these pathogens have caused the most deadly pandemic in recent history. Claire Ainsworth investigates how scientists are working to prevent it happening again.
Schistosomiasis is the second most socioeconomically devastating parasitic disease after malaria. Alan Wilson and Stuart Haslam investigate new ways to combat the parasite – taking advantage of its sugar coating.
Do you believe that time travel has no place in a serious science lesson? Jim Al-Khalili from the University of Surrey, UK, disagrees. He shows how the topic of time travel introduces some of the ideas behind Einstein’s theories of relativity.
Wayne A Mitchell, Debonair Sherman, Andrea Choppy and Rachel L Gomes from the Next Generation project describe some of their science activities to introduce primary-school children to the science all around us.
Sue Johnson from the Institute of Education, London University, UK, introduces the Plant Scientists Investigate project, and presents three plant-related activities for primary-school children. Compare the carbon dioxide concentrations of inhaled and exhaled air, visualise your own oxygen…
Dean Madden from the National Centre for Biotechnology Education (NCBE), University of Reading, UK, suggests an experiment to make lactose-free milk – useful both for cats and for the 75% of the world’s human population that are intolerant to this type of sugar.
In the second of two articles, Rolf Landua from CERN takes us deep below the ground to visit the largest scientific endeavour on Earth – the Large Hadron Collider and its experiments.