Enzyme Revision

AS biology students - You should visit this website to review the enzyme topic that you have studied in class. Some of the material will extend your knowledge beyond your classwork and textbook helping you to achieve an A*! At the end of the activity you can assess your own progress through a quiz.

Food Chain Game

Are you studying food chains in biology?

Click here to play the food chain game and have fun learning!

Enjoy

Competition - The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland

Are you interested in journalism and chemistry?

Then enter this competition where you can work in a team of 2 to 4, and have to submit a 4 x A4-page Newsletter titled “Chemistry in Ireland” suitable for the non-scientist, outlining clearly and accurately any aspects of chemistry in Ireland in an engaging, informative and easily readable manner. You are strongly encouraged to use good quality graphics/photographs to illustrate your newsletter.

This competition is open to all post primary students and the closing date is Friday 18th December 2009.

For more information see Mr McDonnell and click here.

NASA 'bombs' the moon!

Yesterday, NASA's LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) successfully crashed into a crater near the moon's south pole in the hope of finding water.

Two £50million unmanned spaceships were fired. The first spacecraft - called Centaur, which had the mass of a transit van - was crashed into the surface at 5,600mph, twice the speed of a bullet. It hit the exact target - a dark cold crater thought to harbour water. A second ship with science instruments followed it down to analyse the debris.

Now scientists will study the data over the next few weeks to determine if water or ice does exist on the moon.

Year 10 students who are studying space should click here to visit the NASA website to view pictures and read more about this topic.

Why is finding water on Moon important?

Finding whether there is water on the Moon is crucial if we're going to take space exploration seriously. It currently costs too much to take water with us so discovering water would have strategic importance. A base on the Moon might be a fantastic place for further observation and research.

And better understanding of the Moon and its water content will help us in other ways. If the Moon has got water what does that tell us about where the Earth got its water from? Is the water on the moon the same type we have here? Assessing how much water-ice is buried in the surface of the Moon will also be important in establishing how much we can rely on being there.
By looking at the places that are so different from the Earth, and understanding why they're different, you can learn about our own planet.

All of this research builds up a better understanding of our solar system and how it formed and also why our Earth is just so special to us.

We're only just beginning to revise our opinion about how well planetary bodies can hold on to ice or water.

The first step of the battle is to establish if water is there. Then you worry about how to extract it.

By Caroline Crawford Astronomer, Cambridge University

The Big Picture - Flu

Swine Flu download

Download a special issue of Big Picture from the link above to find out what is known about swine flu and how it compares with past pandemics, seasonal flu and avian flu. Swine flu was first detected in Mexico in February 2009. It has since spread rapidly to become the first influenza pandemic of the 21st century. This issue also looks at the drugs and vaccines that can fight it and what international and national bodies are doing about it.

This is a must read for A level biology students and anyone who wants to understand the science behind the swine flu! You can obtain your own free copy of this magazine and/or past issues from the link below:

Order your own copy!