Posted: March 26, 2021
Fluorine is one of the halogens, and is very chemically reactive. It needs to to be handled very carefully as it can explode when it comes into contact with most
Posted: March 19, 2021
You may have learnt from your Science lessons that the alkali metals are very reactive, but did you know how useful and how important they are? About 2.4% of the
Posted: March 12, 2021
How often have you wondered why you have to learn the quadratic formula?!! Quadratic equations can actually be used in everyday life. For example they can be useful when calculating
Posted: March 5, 2021
Did you know that algebra dates back to at least 3000 BC! The Rhind Papyrus, dating from around 1650 BC, is an ancient instruction manual in arithmetic and geometry It
Posted: February 26, 2021
If you thought using letters for algebra is strange then just look at some of the peculiar words in the English language! Did you know that at only 6 letters
Posted: February 19, 2021
Have you ever wondered why we use the letter X in algebra so much? We also use the letter X for phrases like “X marks the spot”. In fact we
Posted: February 12, 2021
Next time you are trying algebra and wondering why we have to use all those letters, think about Benjamin Franklin! Apparently he disliked some letters so much he wanted to
Posted: February 5, 2021
Algebra uses letters – and letters can be fascinating!! If you write down every number as a word, and look at the letters you have used, do you notice anything
Posted: January 29, 2021
As you will learn in school, different chemical reactions have different rates of reaction. But did you know that some animals use chemicals to protect themselves. Some venomous animals have
Posted: January 22, 2021
What do you know about speed? Have a look at some of these…. Elephants can run up to 40 km/h (25 mph) A hippopotamus can run faster than a man,
Posted: January 15, 2021
How much do you know about magnetism and electromagnetism? Did you know that some scientists believe humans are magnetoreceptive. In other words, they have the ability to detect the Earth’s
Posted: January 8, 2021
When learning about hormones and the menstrual cycle in school – you will be taught that oestrogen is the “female” hormone and testosterone is the “male” hormone. However, both males
Posted: December 18, 2020
Have you ever wondered about where reindeer came from. Well -DNA is pretty amazing, and can tell us a lot about a species. Reindeer are cousins to cows and sheep,
Posted: December 11, 2020
According to the science we learn in schools, and the laws of Physics – Santa should not be able to deliver presents to all the children in the world! Because
Posted: December 4, 2020
Protein synthesis is very important. The human body contains about 100,000 different types of protein. The body needs protein to grow, heal, and carry about nearly every chemical reaction in
Posted: November 27, 2020
There are some weird and wonderful ways in which animals will attempt to attract a mate, and in some cases stay alive while doing so!! Female Black Widow spiders are
Posted: November 20, 2020
Eukaryotic cells can look very different from each other, depending on what their function is. However, they all have the same basic components; a nucleus where DNA is stored, and
Posted: November 13, 2020
Scientists believe that the first known cells originated on Earth around 3.8 billion years ago! These were prokaryotes – single celled organisms without a nucleus. There are 200 different types
Posted: November 6, 2020
You may have enjoyed taking medicine more if you had lived centuries ago. As far back as the 9th century, sugar was given as a medicine, a practice which continued
Posted: October 30, 2020
Ever heard the phrase “blowing hot and cold? Did you know that it may have originated from one of Aesop’s fables. He was a Greek slave and storyteller from between
Posted: October 23, 2020
Microscopes have been around for hundreds of years, with the earliest known as “flea glasses” because they were used to observe insects. Before they were invented, people believed that illnesses
Posted: October 9, 2020
The study of genetics is fascinating. Did you know that genes can break or disappear!! Most mammals, due to a particular combination of genes, have the ability to produce their
Posted: October 2, 2020
DNA contains the genetic instructions for the development and functioning of a living organism. Here are some amazing facts about DNA and genetics. You are not 100% human!! Around 5-8%
Posted: September 25, 2020
There are many transition metals, with many different uses. One of these metals is zinc. Zinc is useful in a number of different ways. Medical studies have found that using
Posted: September 11, 2020
If you don’t like learning about fractions, you would have been happy in Maths lessons centuries ago! Fractions as we use them today did not exist in Europe until the
Posted: September 4, 2020
Did you know that the blood of different animals can be different colours. The different colours are caused by pigments and proteins found in the blood, which help the animals
Posted: August 28, 2020
The brain is part of your body’s central nervous system. It’s the most complicated part of your body. The brain is an incredible organ which has the ability to send
Posted: August 21, 2020
Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe. It is made in stars which are 5 or more times heavier than the Sun, when they burn helium and
Posted: August 14, 2020
Hydrogen is believed to be one of three elements produced in the Big Bang, alongside helium and lithium. Most of the energy on our planet is due to hydrogen. This
Posted: August 7, 2020
The rhombicosidodecahedron, or small rhombicosidodecahedron, is known as an Archimedean solid. It is one of thirteen convex solids made of two or more types of regular polygon faces. Polygons are
Posted: July 31, 2020
Salt is incredibly important, and really useful. A common myth is that Roman soldiers were partly paid in salt, resulting in the word “salary” We need to keep levels of
Posted: July 24, 2020
When you get into the bath, the water level goes up – you would expect it to. But if you pour a handful of salt (for example sodium chloride) into
Posted: July 17, 2020
If you jump out of a plane, you will accelerate towards the Earth for a while. The speed at which you fall will eventually even out as a result of
Posted: July 10, 2020
Apparently most people’s favourite number is 7! Seven does have many familiar connections. There are seven days in the week and seven wonders of the world, seven colours of the
Posted: July 3, 2020
If you enter Pi to two decimal places (3.14) in your calculator and look at it in the mirror, you’ll see it spells ‘pie’. Grab yourself a piece of pie
Posted: June 26, 2020
Cheetahs are the fastest animal on land. They can accelerate from standing still to over 60 mph in just 3 seconds, and can reach speeds of up to 75 mph.
Posted: June 19, 2020
Electrolysis can be used to extract lead from molten lead bromide, but did you know some of these interesting facts about lead? Ancient Romans used lead for making pipes. The
Posted: June 12, 2020
The oddly “clean” smell that sometimes comes during a storm is that of ozone!! Lightning strikes split diatomic oxygen molecules in the atmosphere into individual oxygen atoms. These can then combine with
Posted: June 5, 2020
Tardigrades are eight-legged animals that are nicknamed water bears. They are tiny, up to 1.2mm long, but are capable of withstanding the most extreme environments. These hardy creatures survive even
Posted: May 29, 2020
The Golden Ratio is a special number describing a ratio of approximately 1 to 1.618 that is commonly found in nature. It appears many times in geometry, art, architecture and other
