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.

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

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.

Additives and preservatives

Unfortunately we don’t have many books that cover this topic.  Here are some websites which may help.

British Nutrition Foundation – a useful short article about additives explaining their use and different types

Food Standards Agency – scroll down to the bottom of the page to find more useful links

Understanding food additives – a useful website covering all aspects of additives and preservatives

Wikipedia – contains lots of further links for more detailed information

Food reactions – although this website is biased towards the likelihood of allergic reactions, there is useful information about the different groups of E-numbers.  Use the links on the top left of the page to find out more.

Inherited diseases

Cystic Fibrosis
What is Cystic Fibrosis from the Cyctic Fibrosis Trust
Cystic Fibrosis from BBC Health
Cystic Fibrosis from Learn.Genetics at the Genetic Science Learning Center

Huntington’s Disease
What is Huntington’s Disease from the Huntington’s Disease Association
Huntington’s Disease from BBC Health
Huntington’s Disease from Learn.Genetics at the Genetic Science Learning Center

Muscular Dystrophy
Muscular Dystrophy from BBC Health

Sickle Cell Anaemia
What is Sickle Cell Anaemia? from the Sickle Cell Society
Sickle Cell Anaemia from BBC Health
Sickle Cell Disease from Learn.Genetics at the Genetic Science Learning Center

Haemophilia
Key facts: What is haemophilia? from the Haemophilia Society
Haemophilia from BBC Health

The nervous system

The nervous system

The nervous system – scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the ‘nervous system’ for a useful presentation.

Nerves and hormones

Nervous system and senses

The nervous system

Alternative medicine

Books on alternative therapies can be found in the library.  They will have a Dewey number of 615.5.  Look out especially for the Family Guide to Natural Medicine which has useful information on many of the therapies you are researching.

Below are some websites which will give you some basic information about the main types of alternative therapy and medicine.  You may want to start with this guide from Channel 4 which lists over 20 different forms of alternative therapies.

Acupuncture – this webpage from the British Acupuncture Council explains what Acupuncture is.  There are links to more information about its history, different forms of treatment and some frequently asked questions.

Alexander technique – this webpage from the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique explains what it is.  If you hold your mouse over the link ‘About the technique’ on the left hand side of the page, you will find more links about its history and research.

Aromatherapy – this webpage from the Aromatherapy Council explains what aromatherapy entails, provides some links to information about its effectiveness and describes what you might expect from an aromatherapy session.

Ayurvedic medicine – this short article from the Ayurvedic Practitioner’s Association outlines the basic ideas behind Ayurvedic medicine.

Chinese medicine – this webpage from the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine outlines what Chinese medicine is and suggests some ailments that may benefit from Chinese medicine.

Chiropractic – this webpage from the British Chiropractic Association explains what chiropractics do.  There are more links on the right hand side of the screen to information about its history and how it can help some condition.

Homeopathy – this webpage from the Society of Homeopaths explains what homeopathy is and how it is used to treat patients.

Hypnotherapy – this webpage from the Hypnotherapy Association answers frequently asked questions about hypnotherapy.  This other page from the same website explains what it feels like to be hypnotised and outlines how hypnotism differs from other therapies.

Osteopathy – This webpage from the General Osteopathic Council outlines the basics of osteopathy.  Click on the ‘Factsheet Index’ at the top right of the page to find out more specific information.

Reflexology – this is the homepage of the British Reflexology Association.  Click on ‘Information’ to find out more about reflexology.  The following link shows an interactive reflexology foot and hand map which is useful too.

Shiatsu – this webpage from the Shiatsu Society outlines what shiatsu is, its history and the different types of shiatsu.

Yoga – this webpage from the British Wheel of Yoga outlines what yoga is and how it can help you.

Companies and businesses that use science

Local businesses

Yorkshire Science is the name for the Science and Innovation Council for Yorkshire and the Humber.  Its ezine is useful for finding companies that are innovative through science in the region.  Use these links to find out more: Issue 1, Issue 2, Issue 3, Issue 4, Issue 5.

Yell.com lists business details.  Click on the link to find a search result for science businesses that are close to RCS.  Some business will have their own website, others may just have a brief summary of their business.

Touch local will give you details of company’s names and locations to get you started.

More information about careers in science

You can get some ideas about the different types of business that use science from the Connexions jobs4u careers site.  Use the links on the right side of the page to find more details about specific careers including; what the job entails, different employers, training and qualifications, salary and working conditions.  There are also links to organisations and companies for further information that may be helpful.

You could also use some of the science job/recruitment sites to get ideas about the vast range of companies that use science.  Try Science Careers from the journal Science.  Look at the huge number of disciplines outlined in the advanced search to see the different areas that use science. 
Or you could have a look at the New Scientist’s jobs page.  The New Scientist include jobs for local, national and international companies.

Prejudice and discrimination

Y10 are researching different forms of prejudice and discrimination.

Discrimination can happen in many forms.  This article from Wikipedia lists information on the different forms of discrimination including race, age, gender, employment, language, disability and reverse discrimination.

Prejudice  – not giving a fair go – although this website is aimed at younger children, it has some useful information about prejudice, including racial, gender and religious prejudice.

Here are some websites of organisations who work to combat prejudice and discrimination.

Age Concern  – Age Concern believe that ageism is unacceptable and that alll people have the right to make decisions about their lives.

Disability Action – Disability Action works to ensure that people with disabilities attain their full rights as citizens, by supporting inclusion, influencing Government policy and changing attitudes in partnership with disabled people.

Discrimination – This consumer guide from the BBC explains why care needs to be taken in the workplace to avoid discrimination.

Equality and Human Rights Commission – The Equality and Human Rights Commission champions equality and human rights for all, working to eliminate discrimination, reduce inequality, protect human rights and to build good relations, ensuring that everyone has a fair chance to participate in society.

Left n Write – the online shop for left handers.

Refugee Council – The Refugee Council is the largest organisation in the UK working with asylum seekers and refugees. They give direct help and support, and also work with asylum seekers and refugees to ensure their needs and concerns are addressed.

Short Person’s Support – the mission of this group is to sSupport and provide reference material to persons of short stature, raise awareness of the social and economic issues facing short people and provide inspiration to short people to help better their lives and attitudes.

 

Food packaging

Mr Green’s Y10 class are researching the benefits and problems associated with using plastics in food packaging.

There are lots of books in the library that will help you with your factsheet.  Look out for books with a Dewey number of 338.  You’ll find the Dewey number on the spine of each book.  These books will have lots of information about waste and recycling.  Books with Dewey numbers of 330.9 will have information about sustainability which will be useful too.

Here are some websites that will help you with your factsheet.

Food packaging and labelling – although this BBC Bitesize is part of the GCSE Technology webpages, it’s worth a look to get ideas about the overuse and design of packaging.

Food packaging waste a concern – this article from Scientist Live highlights other countries views on food packaging.

Food packaging – why the waste? – these webpages from BBC Food explain some of the problems associated with the food packaging and ways in which the waste can be reduced.

Packaging – Frequently Asked Questions – this webpage from the Institute of Food Science and Technology answers questions concerning the need to package food, problems with waste and possible solutions including recycling and re-filling packaging.

Packaging recycling information sheet – this webpage from Waste Online is an excellent source of information including the different forms of packing, the recycling of packaging and what the law requires.

Re-using packaging – this webpage from the Food Standards Agency highlights some of the problems with people re-using plastic food packaging. 

Scientists link plastic food containers with breast cancer – this 2005 article from the Guardian newspaper suggests a link between plastic food containers and breast cancer.