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health & medicine

BBC Health Site
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health
Yes, those BBC types have done it again! Is there no end to the BBC website? If you have a health query or just want to learn about bodily functions in general then you’ve come to the right place.

Bug Investigators
http://www.buginvestigators.co.uk/
Aimed at upper primary school children, big and bold, this is a site to teach about the 'friendly' micro-organisms that inhabit our bodies, the not so friendly ones that sometimes try to get a look in - and the role that antibiotics can play. The biological information is carefully woven though three games and a set of printable project resources. It's quite quick to work your way through them, and once you've done so, you'll never, ever make the mistake again of asking the doctor for an antibiotic to help shift your cold.

Lipstick and much, much more
http://www.catie.org.uk/barefacts/default.htm
What’s the science behind all the soaps, creams and cosmetics we pour over ourselves? Barefacts is an amazing website that gives great explanations of many products from lipstick to deodorant, from both a science and a design viewpoint. There are quizzes and external links if you want or need more info. The site is aimed at KS3 students and the teacher’s notes let you know where it all fits into the curriculum. There are even worksheets and activities with instructions to actually make some of the products.

Doctor Over Time
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/doctor/
This is an interactive site which is pretty basic, but allows you to explore a bit about the state of medicine in 1900, 1950, and in 1998. The idea is that you adopt the role of a patient, with one of three conditions. You then go and consult the doctor in each of the three years. He (or she) will make a prognosis and let you know what will happen during your treatment and what the likely outcome will be.
It's a good starting point for anyone with an interest in the history of medicine - or a belief that things were better back in the "good old days"!

Medical Research Council
http://www.mrc.ac.uk
For the main site, aimed at the Medical research community.

http://www.mrc.ac.uk/OurResearch/index.htm is the part of the site aimed at teachers and students to keep them up to date with cutting edge research.

Medicdirect
http://www.medicdirect.co.uk
Online medical website for home use — not aimed at schools.

Netdoctor
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk
Home medical website for adults, not aimed at children or schools.

NHS Direct
http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
Useful to know, particularly the phone number, but not aimed at teachers or children.

Sporty Science
http://www.exploratorium.com/sports/index.html
It's all a bit U.S. of A. what with basketball and such, but there's some serious biology and physics too. We particularly enjoyed looking through the Q & A section -
http://www.exploratorium.com/sports/sports_faq.html
where some great sports science questions are answered. The questions include how Michael Jordan manages to hang in the air for so long when he's slam-dunking the ball, why long-jumpers do that weird running movement while they're in the air, and why physios like to put bags of ice on injured muscles.

Surgerydoor
http://www.surgerydoor.co.uk
Big comprehensive site for online medical advice. Big section on healthy living. Not aimed at teachers or schools.

Bug Investigators
http://www.buginvestigators.co.uk/
Let Andybiotic guide you around the games on this website which will teach you about the friendly and the not-so friendly micro-organisms that inhabit our bodies, and the role that antibiotics play. For teachers, the printable resources are well worth a look.

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human biology

Alien Autopsy Anyone?!
http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s1406162.htm
Just time for a quick mention of a recent offering from , Dr Karl . Well, any time’s a good time for a spot of extra-terrestrial speculation, right?
The scene is Roswell, USA, 1947. And the subject of Dr Karl Kruszelnicki's (one of Australia’s favourite science gurus) ‘Great Moment in Science’ is the alleged autopsy of an alien being that had, unlucky for him/her, crashed to Earth. The ‘autopsy’, it is said, was carried out in conditions of supreme secrecy, but was filmed for posterity, the results being eventually broadcast in 1995.
But does it provide proof of alien life? Or proof that actors can’t even hold scissors properly? Dr Karl has his opinion.

APBI — British Pharmaceutical Industry
http://www.abpi-careers.org.uk/
You know the expression, 'it's not a cure for cancer'. Well, this potentially is! This site explores some careers in the pharmaceutical industry in good detail, for anyone with a liking for chemistry / biology. Definitely worth a look.

Ask A Biologist
http://www.askabiologist.org.uk/
Why do humans have large, pointy noses when chimps and gorillas have hardly any nose at all? Questions like this can now be answered on this new web site which has been designed to give kids direct access to scientists who can provide the answers. Dr David Hone has assembled a team of over 60 professional scientists from around the world to answer questions put to them on the site. Children can interact with scientists of all ages and disciplines to learn more about how science works. It also provides a tool for teachers to encourage talented and enthusiastic children.

BBC AS Guru
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/asguru/
Help for AS level students who can use online, TV and print, to create the most comprehensive study programme possible. The website offers a comprehensive course map, explanations, diagrams, animations and activities.

BBC Science and Nature: Interactive Body
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/
Heart in the right place... But what about the liver? Plumb together your organs in a 3D jigsaw.

Becoming Human
http://www.becominghuman.org/
A great place to learn about your ancient hominid relatives, where a series of nicely paced and quite gentle documentary style ‘movies’ will enlighten you in the experts’ own words. There is lots of back up material too. In fact humans might have evolved into something else by the time you’ve read everything.

Biotopics
http://www.biotopics.co.uk/conten.html
Don’t be put off by the enormity of this page. The sections of the exam specification are colour-coded and you can always search within the page using ‘ctrl - f’. Look out for interactive features throughout the site when your cursor hovers over certain places on the page and neat things happen.

BSSRC Life
http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/life/index.html
Great site full of information about relevant modern biological science issues — very clearly set out — you will need to download Flash if you haven’t already.

Biology4All
http://www.biology4all.com/
This is a great site hosted by the University of Central Lancashire, and covers all aspects of the post 16 Biology Curriculum, with a view to introducing pupils to Biology courses at university. It has spectacularly good teacher resources, links library and up to date news from the web on biological advances.

Cells Alive!
http://www.cellsalive.com/
Good pictures showing bacteria, blood cells and viruses. See ‘anatomy of a splinter’ which explains the inflammatory process.

Choosing Gender
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/node5962.html
It’s possible to choose a child of a particular gender now, but does that mean anyone should ever be allowed to do this? It’s a very thorny issue and well worth a debate, so Wellcome have put together materials to inspire one, and to help your pupils with information gathering. There’s even video clip tasters of a real classroom debate on the issue.

Come to your Senses
http://library.thinkquest.org/3750/
This is a great site, particularly for primary age kids, which
explores and explains how each of our five senses work, and plenty of what they call 'Sense-ational' facts'.
There are instructions for some sense-related activities, and if you want more, they've generously researched a load more links to other sites on the same subject.

European Molecular Biology Organisation
http://www.embo.org/scisoc/stemcell.html
EMBO's publication on stem cell research “Stem Cell Research – Status, Prospects, Prerequisites” can be freely downloaded from this web page. It collates scientific advice for policy making, and gives 10 concrete recommendations for policy in Europe to promote stem cell research and application. It gives a snapshot of current stem cell research and prospects across a wide range of fields from techniques and basic research in various tissue types through to clinical applications. We are assured it is written in language accessible to non-scientists so it may be useful for citizenship and PHSE debates.

Genetic Disorder
http://www.geneticfutures.com/thegift/play/author.asp
This is a great site for stimulating discussion about the future of genetic selection. Written by playwright, Nicola Baldwin, it explores the scenario of a future genetics court case between father and son.

Genial Genomics
http://www.genomicseducation.ca/glossary/a.htm
Brian Hansen of Genome British Columbia has been in touch to let you know about the genomics/genetics glossary on his organisation’s education site. It’s “light touch” in terms of explaining concepts, and laced with jokes – many of which are rather corny, but hey we can talk!

Gondar Design Science
http://www.purchon.com/
Gondar Design Science has been around for ages and is still a nice site with useful revision sections for biology, ecology, health, chemistry and some physics (look under ‘subject index’). Although primarily for GCSE pupils the good work of Sambal The Cat (honest) carries on for key stage 3 scientists at http://www.sambal.co.uk/

Human Anatomy Online
http://www.innerbody.com
A site that does what it says on the packet — it helps you study human anatomy! Each topic has animations, graphics and descriptive links.

I’m sensing something here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody
Ever wondered who was bigger – King Kong or Godzilla? Well, you’re still not really going to find out, but there’s a really funny clip on distorted perspective at the BBC website’s Senses Challenge. Have a go, see what you think…and find out what goes with white chocolate, broccoli, caviar or bacon to boot.

Inside Story
http://www.insidestory.iop.org
Ever wondered what happens to your brain when you fall in love? Or questioned how a tumour is treated? Or imagined what it looks like inside a bottom?
Discover the answers to these bodily questions with the fantastic new multimedia website, Inside Story, from the Institute of Physics and Medical Research Council developed as part of Einstein Year.

LaughLab
http://www.laughlab.co.uk/home.html
LaughLab was a huge scientific experiment to discover the world’s funniest joke. The findings are detailed here.

Mark Rothery’s Site
http://www.mrothery.co.uk/
This is a site aimed at students taking AQA(B) AS and A2 biology, but will be worth a visit from anyone doing biology at advanced level. There are brief notes for most topics and a slightly eclectic mix of miscellaneous teaching resources, including word documents and PowerPoints The main asset of his no-frills site is that there are plenty of past exam questions for you to try. These can be either printed out or (for most) done online. When you reckon you've got the answers as good as you can get them, (or are totally clueless) click on 'answer' and you will see the correct answer from the mark scheme.

Medical Museums
http://www.medicalmuseums.org/
This site leads to the medical museums in London, for the history of medicine, ophthalmology, psychoanalysis and more.

Neuroscience for Kids
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/newslet.html
Explore the human nervous system through a wealth of images and information. The site includes comparative studies, a brief history of neuroscience and sections on disease and injury. Numerous games and activities explore the functions of the brain.

Science Pages
http://www.sciencepages.co.uk/keystage4/keystage4.php
Despite the name, this site has mostly chemistry on offer to the revising masses at GCSE, (although there's also a little stuff for the key stage 3 National Tests as well as A level). There are a good selection of quizzes plus a smattering of revision notes, crosswords, a few PowerPoints, a checklist to see what mark you're likely to get for your coursework, and a small links list pointing you to some of the weirder websites out there.

Skeleton
http://www.imcpl.org/kids/guides/health/skeletalsystem.html
Two page site about the skeleton with the bone quiz to test your knowledge.

Squashed Frogs
http://www.squashedfrogs.co.uk
This site has lots of resources for lessons (filed according to Key Stage and then topic) including powerpoints, worksheets, games etc. It covers KS3-5 in all areas. It also lists lots of links to useful websites and has a variety of downloadable materials. There really is a treasure trove of good stuff on this site.

The ASE have Love on the Brain
http://www.upd8.org.uk/activity.php?actid=115
To celebrate Valentine’s Day the ASE have produced an UPD8 with a romantic, yet biological theme. To make a date with UPD8, all you have to do is register, secondary level UPD8s are free. If the Winter Olympics are more you’re thing, you might like the UPD8 specifically on that topic: http://www.upd8.org.uk/activity/163/Winter-Olympics.html where slipperiness is explored.

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/about/Welcome.html
The site is for research students mainly, but has a remit to disseminate knowledge about the biological sciences to the wider public. ‘Science and Society’, deals with bio-science issues, which would suit interested sixth formers upwards: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/society/Welcome.html

The Centre of the Cell
http://www.centreofthecell.org/
This site is provides an excellent free resource for children, young people and teachers. The main themes are cell biology and biomedical research. Content is curriculum linked to key stages 2, 3 and 4.

The National Centre for Biotechnology Education
http://www.ncbe.reading.ac.uk/NCBE/PROTOCOLS/menu.html
The NCBE have a series of illustrated instructions for almost 70 practical investigations, most of which can be used as starting points for open-ended work. The NCBE's policy is to make all of its publications available free-of-charge, on-line (usually as Adobe Acrobat PDF files).

Visible Human Project
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible/applications.html
Take a guided tour of the Visible Human from MAD scientists by looking at three-dimensional images of the male and female human body.

Vision 3-D
http://www.vision3d.com/optical/index.shtml
Discover how to see in 3-D and the benefits of exercising the eyes. Diagrams and information explain the mysteries of binocular vision. The gallery provides numerous examples of both traditional and 3-D illusions.

Your Amazing Brain
http://www.youramazingbrain.org.uk
If you've not visited the Your Amazing Brain website then it's time to do so right now. As you'll see there are several different sections, such as 'Your Memory', 'Inside Your Brain' and 'Test Yourself'. In each one the idea is to try things for yourself and learn more about what's going on up there in your top ten centimetres...

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maths

4000 Years of Women in Science
http://crux.astr.ua.edu/4000WS/4000WS.html
Biographies and pictures of female scientists and mathematicians throughout history. The site is very informative and inspiring although simple in layout and appearance.

Count On
http://www.counton.org
This is a brilliant maths site built to continue the work of Maths Year 2000. It is absolutely packed with interactivity. Everywhere you click a game pops up for you to try, or if not a game then some maths packaged into bite-size bits.

Easy Maths
http://www.easymaths.com/
We know maths isn’t that easy but with this site it can be. There are tutorials, exam papers, puzzles, tricks and games to be found here.

GCSE Maths Revision
http://www.GCSE.com
Although supported by advertising, there's plenty on this site to make it worth bookmarking. Each item is short and snappy and there are plenty of links between pages so you can start to build a picture of how the wonderful world of physics fits together. There's also a huge glossary running from A to W (that's ‘absolute zero’ to ‘work’). And there's a section full of coursework tips as to what the examiner is after, so you can tailor your work to suit. New material is regularly added so do visit every so often during the revision period.

Mathcats
http://www.mathcats.com/
Teacher Wendy Petti from the USA has set up this very cute site mainly so she can share with other teachers and parents the 'MicroWorlds' games and applets she’s created to explore maths with younger children. If you like cats and maths you'll like this site.

Maths World
http://www.mathsworld.co.uk/
Help with homework for GCSE and A-Level students. Links to every university maths department in the UK. Also includes puzzles, revision help and links to other maths sites.

Murder by Numbers
http://www.murderousmaths.co.uk/
Don’t miss this brilliant maths site. Murderous Maths Tricks and Games with tricks such as Let Riverboat Lil Read Your Mind and the aptly named Pongo McWhiffy’s Pants Race, will have you hooked for hours. And if you have any burning maths questions (or are just plain nosey and want to see what other folks have asked) try the Research Lab.

Plus Maths
http://www.plus.maths.org
Online maths magazine for those with an interest.

Prime Mathematics Enrichment
http://nrich.maths.org.uk/primary/library.htm
Lots of maths problems here to solve, for maths lovers and those who would like to expand their mathematical horizons.

PuzzleMania
http://www.puzzlemania.org.uk
A web-based Maths resource for students and teachers of Key Stage 3 Maths, PuzzleMania is designed by At-Bristol and supported by Clerical Medical. Explore the mathematics of mobile phones numbers, create your own electronic music, or see what happens when your mouse starts working backwards!

Secret Worlds: The Universe Within
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/scienceopticsu/
Move through space without leaving your chair! This site allows you to travel across the Milky Way, through space and finally back to Earth, each picture smaller to the power of 10 — interesting for mathematicians too.

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physics

ABC.NET Einstein Quiz
http://www.abc.net.au/science/explore/einstein/quiz/
This is a fun quiz, courtesy of ABC in Australia, created to coincide with the International Year of Physics. You might be surprised at your results… So, go on, have a shot. It’s hardly rocket science. Well, only some of it.

About Temperature
http://eo.ucar.edu/skymath/tmp2.html
A site all about temperature, including the history of thermometers and the development of temperature scales, thermodynamics, kinetic theory and electromagnetic radiation.

Animated Physics
http://www.physics.org/life
Fascinated by physics? Then rove your mouse around this world and see how physics is all around you — at home, school, workplace and even on your washing line. Worth checking out whether you're a physics fan or not.

BNFL (British Nuclear Fuels Ltd)
http://www.bnfl.com/
Very Shockwave-heavy site with a lot of information about nuclear power. The education section contains details of teaching resources, an online magazine, and various puzzles.

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
http://www.epsrc.ac.uk
Not for children, aimed at students and research scientists, but with fascinating project news at http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/ResearchHighlights/default.htm the highlights of the councils grant recipients. It’s very interesting to see what problems and what solutions inspire this type of scientist.

Flight Site
http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~flight/homepage.html
Are you getting away on holiday soon? Don’t you want to have some science fun with aeroplanes first? Then read this clear site about the science of flight.

Galileo Galilei
http://www.seed.slb.com/en/scictr/lab/galileo/index.htm
Here's a daredevil, ascending to great heights to try and accomplish a feat that many of his spectators just do not believe possible. It's that Italian guy, Galileo Galilei! Up the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, with his two cannon balls and a feather...

GCSE Physics Revision
http://www.GCSE.com
Although supported by advertising, there's plenty on this site to make it worth bookmarking. Each item is short and snappy and there are plenty of links between pages so you can start to build a picture of how the wonderful world of physics fits together. There's also a huge glossary running from A to W (that's ‘absolute zero’ to ‘work’). And there's a section full of coursework tips as to what the examiner is after, so you can tailor your work to suit. New material is regularly added so do visit every so often during the revision period.

Insight into the invisible
http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_games/what/
Our eyes are pretty handy things, for a start off they tend to stop us walking into things - as long as we use them and pay attention. But it is surprising that our eyes see such a tiny part of the electromagnetic spectrum – just the ‘light’ bit. But what about the rest? This great site gives a bit of insight into what the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum looks like. Just as we see different colours, an infrared camera sees different tones of infrared radiation, something we normally perceive as heat.
Guess the object seen in infrared – some are easier and some are harder, but in the end you’ll get a good idea of what a great tool ‘seeing’ in the infrared is.

Kung Fu Science – DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME
http://www.kungfuscience.org/
The Institute of Physics has just launched a new website as part of Einstein Year. Called Kung Fu Science this website really shows physics in action. Just what force, what energy and what speed are needed to break a block of wood with your bare hands? Physicist Michelle Cain, with a knowledge of the physics involved and some expert guidance attempts to smash three blocks of wood. But you’ll have to watch the video to find if her training was enough!

NOISENET
http://www.noisemakers.org.uk/
NOISE (New Outlooks In Science & Engineering) is a new UK campaign funded by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). It's aimed at the 16 - 19 year olds, and is bright, good looking and has lots of great information, including some really interesting careers profiles.

Particle Adventure
http://particleadventure.org/
Okay, so perhaps particles don’t sound particularly adventurous but you’ll have to visit this site to take our word for it. Follow the interactive tour and the world of quarks, antimatter and neutrinos is presented in easy to digest chunks of information.

Physics Applets
http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/applets/
Not small apples, but very entertaining interactive physics concepts, from atoms to microwave ovens! Anyone could easily spend time playing with these little devils, and would come away with a good understanding of the concepts.

Practical Physics
http://www.practicalphysics.org/
How science works through Practical Physics – a new section on the popular Practical Physics web site which gives ideas for practical work. Ideal if you are still struggling with the new GCSE Science specifications.

Racing Academy from NESTA Futurelab
http://www.nestafuturelab.org/download/projects/racing_academy.php
Who doesn’t love racing games? Thanks to NESTA Futurelab and Lateral Visions you can take it all one step further with Racing Academy. This is aimed at teenagers, GCSE and up, but that doesn’t mean that everyone can’t have a go!

The Institute of Physics
http://www.physics.org
A good looking site to invigorate your interest in physics — whatever your age. It has a mini search engine which users can change to suit their age and knowledge level to narrow their search of the Web world of physics!

Physics Department at Bootham School Online
http://www.bootham.york.sch.uk/physics/
This site contains extremely detailed lesson plans and relates back to individual National Curriculum learning statements. Activities of the Physics Department are also covered.

Ready for your close up?
http://pwatlas.mt.umist.ac.uk/internetmicroscope/index.html
In this case very close up indeed. The University of Manchester’s faculty of Engineering and the Physical Sciences have come up with a site full of Electron Microscope images, to help you investigate materials and what they’re good for, engineering wise.

Time Travel
http://www.biols.susx.ac.uk/home/John_Gribbin/
Get your head round this if you can! Thought-provoking science theory, which asserts that according to Einstein’s laws, there's no reason why time travel can't work...

Windows to the Universe
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/
This is a wide ranging site from the USA, encompassing astronomy, geology and physics, history and people, basically it should be called "life, the universe and everything"! It's got a lot of pages and you could roam around learning this and that for hours. It's beautifully presented, (if a little disorientating given the amount of content) and full of imaginative ways to explore science, and it even has a section for teachers with loads of classroom activities that link into the American Curriculum, but could be adapted for use here. Definitely worth a look.

You Tube: Juggling in a Cone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqDAf_lg9Xs
Juggling three balls is easy. No, really, it is. Anyone can do it, with a little practice. It's just a bit of simple Newtonian dynamics, after all. Juggling three balls while standing inside a giant inverted perspex cone, however, is... come to think of it, we're not sure we've ever tried. Easy or hard, it looks stunning. Just remember to take some time out from gawping to consider what's going on with all those conic sections, and to wonder what Newton would have made of it all.

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