Microbes and micro-organisms

Books about microbes and micro-organisms will have a Dewey number of 576.

Here are some websites that may help your research…

Health and disease - this revision bite from BBC Bitesize has links to information about microbes, spreading microbes, defence against microbes and antibiotics.

Microbes from Key Stage 3 science has links to keywords, revision notes and a quiz.

Microbes and disease – here’s a quiz to test what you know about microbes. 

Here are two pages from the BBC website that explain the good that microbes do and the harm that microbes do.

Germs, germs everywhere is a website designed by some primary school children that has lots of information about germs.  They also have a page stating which sources they used to find their information.  Could be worth a look.

Biofuels

The use of biofuels is a relatively new area of research.  Therefore we don’t have a lot of books on the subject.  Books on alternative forms of energy all have a Dewey number of 333.79. 

Here are some websites which have more up-to-date information.

Biofuel - this article from Wikipedia explains what a biofuel is and highlights some of the different forms of biofuels and their use by different countries.

Biofuels - this revision bite from BBC bitesize explains the use of biofuels, specifically ethanol.

Biofuels - this webpage from Shell (the energy and petrol company) explains how they are developing the use of biofuels and considers its sustainability and the future of biofuels.

Biofuels: green dream or climate change nightmare - this webpage from Greenpeace outlines the key arguments that Greenpeace and other environmental charities are worried about if the government continues to develop biofuels. Here is an advert that was recently placed in national newspapers to alert the public to the dangers of relying on biofuels.

Quick guide to biofuels – this article from the BBC website gives a succint account of what biofuels are and their uses, whether they are climate-friendly and the downsides of biofuels.  There are also some links to other articles about biofuels at the right of the main article.

Mobile phones: are they safe?

Ms Allen’s and Ms Liles-Wood’s Y9 classes are looking into whether mobile phones cause cancer.  Here are some links to help your research.  This is quite a contentious subject and some of these links may be writing from a particular viewpoint.  Think about who is writing each article and what their background may be, before reading what they have to say.

16 masts in Cancer Street
Sun article about a high incidence of cancer in one street which has lots of phone masts.
Click on ‘Next page: for and against’ at the bottom of the page to read two people’s arguments about whether mobile phones are safe or not.

Do mobile phones cause cancer? and Mobile phones and cancer
Two short articles from Cancer Research UK

Early mobiles brain tumour risk
BBC report about a Swedish investigation into mobile phones and brain tumours.

Electromagnetic fields and public health
Fact sheet from the World Health Organisation which outlines key recommendations and health concerns.

Hospitals to allow mobiles
Article from the Daily Mirror stating that patients in hospitals will be allowed to use mobile phones.

Jury still out on mobile health
BBC article outlining some key reports from the New Scientist magazine.

Kids Wi-Fi radiation warning
Article from the Daily Mirror about the potential danger of radiation from wireless internet access in schools.

Mobile cleared of cancer link
Report from the BBC about a Danish study about the link between moblie phones and cancer.

Mobile phone radiation and health
Article from Wikipedia.

Mobile phones and health
Information leaflet from the Department of Health.  Be patient, this website can take a few minutes to load.

Mobile phones, magnetic fields and cancer
Short summaries of key scientific studies into whether there is a link between mobile phones and cancer.

Mobiles slash your sperm count by 30%
Daily Mirror article about a Hungarian study.

No link for mobile phones and cancer
Short report from BBC Newsround.

Our mobile phones are safe (probably), but we can’t prove it, say experts
Article from the Daily Mirror outlining the problems.

Powerwatch
Website with lots of information about potential health risks from mobile phone masts, pylons and substations and mobile phones.

Should I worry about… mobile phones?
Article from the BBC’s series ‘Should I worry about…?’ with Richard Hammond.

Click on this link to find more articles on mobile phones and cancer from BBC

Climate change

Some UK cities held events to support World Environment Day on Thursday 5th June. Other towns and cities are also looking at how they can be more sustainable and combat climate change.  Click on the cities to find out more.

Birmingham  -  Cambridge  -  Leicester  -  London  -  Sheffield

Aerogel

Ms Seaman’s class are researching Aerogel.  This is a relatively new product so we don’t have much information in our books.  Here are some websites that may help your research

Aerogel – this Wikipedia entry has a lot of information.  It s quite hard to read the whole article.  The section on ‘uses’ will give you lots of ideas for what Aerogel is used for.

What is an aerogel? - this webpage from Aspen Aerogels (a company that makes products using Aerogel) will help you find out more about aerogels.  Click on ‘Products’ at the top of the page to find out what aerogels are used for.

Scientists hail ‘frozen smoke’ as material that will change the world - the article from the Times newspaper in 2007 is obviously excited about aerogels.  Do you think aerogel’s will change the world?  Why?

Genes and DNA

Genes from BBC Bitesize – revision notes and practice questions on genes, DNA and reproduction and cloning.

Genes R Us from Jeans for Genes – animations and short films to help you understand what genes are and how they affect us.

Inside Out from the Royal Institute of Great Britain – information about genes, dna and much more.  Test your own knowledge with the quiz!

Learn Genetics from the Genetic Science Learning Center – information about DNA, heredity, gene therapy and much more.  Click on ‘tour the basics’ to get you started.

Noise pollution

Noise pollution from Wikipedia – this article outlines the health and environmental effects of noise pollution 

What is noise pollution? from the Right to Quiet Society

What is noise pollution? from Pollution Issues outlines the different types of noise pollution, issues surrounding noise at work,  its effects on health and the law concerning noise pollution.

Noise maps – use the menu at the left hand side of the screen to select the type of noise pollution you are interested in (road, rail, industry or air) and then enter the school postcode – S62 7GA to see a noise map.

Electromagnets and electromagnetic waves

Electromagnetic radiation from Wikipedia outlines the physics and explains the electromagnetic spectrum.  You can also have a look at this article on Microwaves.

The electromagnetic spectrum has links at the bottom of the page to information about the different types of electromagnetic wave and their uses. 

Click on the links on this webpage ‘Electromagnetic Waves’ to find out more about the different types of waves on the electromagnetic spectrum.

This revision bite from BBC Bitesize on Radiation and the universe has links to information on waves and the electromagnetic spectrum.

Adaptation

Adaptation and competition - this revision bite from the BBC has information about adaptation, changing environments, competition and extinction.  Click on the links or the page numbers.

Adaptation: plants and animals – this webpage from Trinity College in Australia has loads of links to webpages on the adaptations of many plants and animals.

Endangered Animals – Extinction is Forever – this website from Utah’s Education Network has links to websites about animals that are now extinct.  This ThinkQuest website, Put Extinction on Paws, does the same.

Evolution – this revision bite from the BBC has information about evolution and extinction.

Plant adaptations – this webpage from the Missouri Botanical Gardens in America has information about how plants adapt to different environments.

Animal adaptations and survival - from Woodlands Junior School explains what is meant by adaptation and gives some examples.  Click on the links on the left to find out about specific animals.

Animal adaptions for winter survival - this short article from the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in the USA outlines how animals have adapted to survive wintry conditions.

Desert animal survival – This page from DesertUSA explains how animals in the desert cope with the heat and lack of water in the desert.

If you’re really interested in this topic you might want to read this article from the Independent newspaper.  It outlines how the extinction of plants and animals is a threat to mankind and looks at patterns of extinction throughout history.

Heat transfer

Use these websites to find information on how to improve the energy efficiency of your home.

The Energy Saving House from the Energy Saving Trust has lots of ideas to increase your energy and will tell you how much money you can save.   You can also find information on insulation from the Energy Saving Trust.

You can find out ways to save energy from the Big Green Switch website.

Find out about energy use in buildings and the environment in the Energy Chest.

Need to revise your knowledge of energy – check out the Energy resources and energy transfer revision bite from BBC bitesize.