This is a great video about Gregor Mendel and his work – a topic found in most GCSE science specifications. It was produced by Nottingham Trent University for their ‘My favourite scientist’ project.  You can find videos about other scientists on their website.

The story Did you know:  The hamster species P.roborovskii have been said to run the equivalent of four human marathons per night? This interesting but apparently useless fact came to my attention via Guardian blogger Grrl Scientist.  The blog post went on to explain the ways that all this kinetic energy could be harnessed to […]

The story Today sees the start of London zoo’s annual stock-take where the numbers of each species are counted. This task maybe a quick job for the keepers of the big cats or large reptiles but spare a thought for the invertebrate keepers, counting every butterfly could keep them occupied for up to 4 weeks.

  This spooky video shows the giant red crab which have invaded Antarctic waters due to increased water temperatures: an example of how changes in non-living factors can alter the distribution of organisms.  This invasive species has the potential to destroy the delicately balanced food webs in this ecosystem.

The story Remember, remember the 5th of November… But does anyone remember the indoor fireworks that were so popular when I was growing up?

The story I received an interesting letter in the post last week inviting my two year old daughter to take part in an international research study. Feeling rather proud that scientists have realised her potential so early, I read on wondering what research they would exactly need her to carry out.

The story Today is World Health Day and the theme this year is antimicrobial resistance. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is introducing a six-point policy package to combat the spread of antimicrobial resistance in order to slow down not only its effect on the health of people today but to safeguard the effectiveness of antibiotics […]

Time for another seasonal post.  It’s nearly Easter so you may wish to have a go at some egg-based science experiments this week. Teaching ideas For an interesting spin on a lesson on chemical reactions you could try making a ‘naked egg’, that is an egg without its shell.

The story It seems nothing is safe from the wave of council cutbacks sweeping the nation as Pembrokeshire council has just announced that it is planning to start turning off 14 000 of its street lights in order to save money (and cut down on its carbon footprint).

It was a couple of earth-science stories that caught my attention this week. After the recent earthquakes that shook Japan and New Zealand, predicting where and when the next big seismic event will happen is a holy grail to seismologists.