Snapshot Science

Science in the News-letter #39

Snapshot Science — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 19:31:28 +0000

Last week saw the 60 year anniversary of the famous discovery by Watson and Crick which heralded the start of the modern era of biology. Also in the news last week: a possible cure for HIV begins human trials, the Earth’s core is 1 000 degrees Celsius than previously thought and why we urgently need to remove space debris.

Science in the News-letter #38

Snapshot Science — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 19:38:20 +0000

Some very useful links to new stories on topics featured in science GCSEs are in this week’s newsletter including a look at a new fossil of a human ancestor, how bees are important to food security and lab grown organs for transplants.

Science in the News-letter #37

Snapshot Science — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 19:41:43 +0000

Stories from this week’s newsletter include unearthed 14th century plague bodies, pharmacogenetics, a theory as to why Neanderthals became extinct, the world’s most powerful telescopes and a new technique in liver transplantation.

Science in the News-letter #36

Snapshot Science — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 21:22:19 +0000

In the news last week: scientists have DNA evidence that bacteria living underneath the ice in Lake Vostok are a new species. In a similarly hostile environment, on Jupiter’s moon Europa, scientists have gathered evidence that salty water exists there which may be a source of chemical energy for life.

Other stories from last week reported in the newsletter include camels that once lived in the Arctic, a possible cure for lung cancer using gene therapy and the chance of seeing a comet this Friday.

Science in the News-letter #35

Snapshot Science — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:48:23 +0000

In this week’s newsletter your students can find out about how we may soon reach the tipping point when it comes to climate change as it looks likely that there will be a major release of methane, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere from melting permafrost. Also, how sailors are helping scientists to measure plankton population in the oceans, a world record for the discovery of the deepest hydrothermal vent, good news in the fight against the ‘flu virus and how a woman in Texas beat odds of 1 in 70 million to give birth to two sets of identical twins on the same day.

Science in the News-letter #34

Snapshot Science — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 15:30:24 +0000

What a week for science with the meteor hit in Russia and the near miss by an asteroid (if you can call 17 000 miles a near miss). These stories and others are featured in this week’s newsletter. All have a link to GCSE science including stories about extremophiles found in the Antarctic, gene therapy to cure diabetes, the Hubble Space Telescope and the importance of collecting valid evidence and making scientific conclusions.

Science in the News-letter #33

Snapshot Science — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 20:16:11 +0000

The first of 2013s Science in the News-letters is now here!

Sorry about the wait but normal service will resume from now on. In this edition, your students can watch videos on the exciting discovery of Richard III’s remains and meet the million-dollar bionic man. We are due for a visit from an ultra-bright comet this year but let’s hope it doesn’t result in an impact because another story looks at new evidence which strengthens the theory that this is what wiped out the dinosaurs.

Happy Christmas!

Snapshot Science — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:18:56 +0000

Happy Christmas from Snapshot Science. Your gift is a Christmas quiz that you can give to your students if you have any odd lessons where they need to be doing something scientific and you need to be doing as little as possible!

It’s a quiz where students have to match a christmassy item to a scientific word, term or equation and explain why they matched it. It is suitable for KS4 and KS5. Answers are supplied.

If you haven’t already, please take a look at these Christmas science games for more lesson ideas.

No related posts.

Science in the News-letter #32

Snapshot Science — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 12:20:59 +0000

This edition of the newsletter covers two weeks of sciency news so get ready for some great stories!

We have the news that frozen water has been found on Mercury. Your students can take a look into why this is unexpected, where it is found and how scientists have discovered it.

Also, are people getting dumber? One scientists has put forward this controversial hypothesis in which he outlines how he thinks mutations are meaning that we are less intelligent that our ancestors. Is this an example of natural selection in humans and how exactly could we be selecting for this characteristic.

I always like a food based story and so have found two on un-meltable chocolate and mould-free bread. Finally, the exciting new that the double helical structure of DNA has been seen for the first time by using electron microscopy.

Science in the News-letter #31

Snapshot Science — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 20:29:00 +0000

Four biology stories and one physics feature in this week’s newsletter. These include last week’s total eclipse in Australia, a debate over whether cloning should be used to help endangered species and if we should all be worried about the transmission of the deadly Ebola virus in the air.