Understanding the science behind the news allows us to balance the pros and cons and make a balanced decision.
Two stories in this week’s newsletter ask students to do this: The collapse of footballer Fabrice Muamba during a match last Saturday has sparked a debate about whether athletes should be screened for heart abnormalities. Also: should an area of natural beauty in South Africa undergo the controversial drilling practice for natural gas known as fracking?
image: CILAS @ wikimedia
A simple starter I often used when introducing the topic of light with year 8 was to give them a problem to solve: More
Stories in this week’s newsletter include two very different uses of genetic engineering and the reason why many scientists are upset at the sight of party balloons.
To find out why, you’ve got to read the linked news article!
Getting into space the traditional way, in a space shuttle, is an expensive process but at least we know it works. Is travelling up in an elevator attached to a 36 000 km cable any more cost effective or realistic? More
This week’s newsletter features stories about the recent solar flares, a famous movie director’s quest to reach Earth’s lowest point, a car that may help us slow climate change down and the possible consequences if we don’t.
As these newsletters are only really suitable for KS4 and KS5 students, I have been considering publishing a monthly science in the news-letter for younger students (ages 8-13). If you think this is something you would be interested in, please let me know (as I will only do this if there is demand). More
The storyA team of scientists from a Dutch university has discovered a way of turning biogas made from plant matter into the building blocks of common plastics.
They used a new kind of iron catalyst made from nanoparticles to make ethene and propene. This new method means that plastics with the same chemical structure, and therefore properties as traditional petroplastics, can be produced using biomass, a renewable resource. More
Quite a life-science heavy newsletter this week which I make no apologies for as it has been a very exciting week for biologists.
In this week’s newsletter your students can find out how giant prehistoric fleas were adapted to feed on dinosaurs; why the statement that a female baby is born with all of the eggs she will ever produce may no longer be true and how scientists have discovered rather a lot about an ancient iceman. More
Raise and hold hands at 12 noon today and show your Solidarity with rare disease patients around the world.
The main purpose of Rare Disease Day is to make more people aware of the 6000 – 8000 rare diseases that affect people around the world. A rare disease is one that affects less than 1 in 2000 people; most are life threatening and the majority have no cure. More
It’s been a busy week for science news!
The biggest story must be the revelation that an apparent fault in equipment may reveal that Einstein was right all along – and neutrinos are not faster than light. However, another report stated that they may be in fact faster.
Will we ever know for sure? Let your students contemplate this, and other breaking stories, by viewing this week’s Science in the News-letter.
This video shows an interesting merge of physics and make-up which might just be the hook you need to get certain individuals in your class interested in science (you know who they are!). More
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