Describes behaviors of the domestic cat in terms of developing students abilities to observe. Discussed are play, territoriality and pecking order, catnip, feral studies, and chasing. (CW)

A science teacher describes his experience at a workshop to learn to teach the Cold Spring Harbor DNA Science Laboratory Protocols. These protocols lead students through processes for taking E. coli cells and transforming them into a new antibiotic resistant strain. The workshop featured discussions of the role of DNA recombinant technology in…

Reading Harry Potter aloud to the class one autumn sparked the students imaginations and also the authors'. As a result, that semester the author designed and taught a thematic unit based on Harry Potter. The students were able to identify with the 11-year old wizard and his adventures in a strange new world. In mathematics, language arts, and…

We present a practical for university-level students aimed at measuring and comparing xylem hydraulic properties of co-existing plant species. After sampling branches of several woody species in the field, their main hydraulic properties were measured using a simple set-up. Hydraulic conductivity ("K[subscript h]") was calculated as the ratio…

There is growing interest amongst educationalists in the relationship between education and neuroscience; for example, the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) recently hosted an event entitled "Bridging the gap between neuroscience and education". While students' quotations are informative about what promotes or facilitates their…

This annual report of the Assembly of Life Sciences (ALS) covers the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1979, and ending June 30, 1980. The report has four major sections: (1) Special Programs of the Executive Office; (2) Division of Biological Sciences; (3) Division of Medical Sciences; and (4) Board on Toxicology and Environmental Health Hazards.…

The documents that constitute this report include essays by those who direct the National Research Council (NRC), its units, and its parent institutions, as well as descriptions of a few of the study projects under way in 1976. Eight divisions of the NRC report on various aspects of their goals and projects: the Assembly of Engineering, the…

Describes techniques for collecting and recognizing adult mosquitoes. Discusses the six genera of British mosquitoes and provides a key for their identification. (CW)

Reviews major developments in areas that are at the cutting edge of biological research. Areas include: human anti-cancer gene, recombinant DNA techniques for the detection of Huntington disease carriers, and marine biology. (CW)

Discusses the applicability and advantages of using yeasts as popular and ideal model systems for studying and understanding eukaryotic biology at the cellular and molecular levels. Cites experimental tractability and the cooperative tradition of the research community of yeast biologists as reasons for this success. (RT)

Describes a survey conducted by Sigma Xi of its membership in 1986 on science policy issues. Lists the four most important issues identified by the survey and discusses how bioscientists, specifically, responded. Compares how bioscientists identify themselves politically with other scientists. Identifies some of the complaints of bioscientists…

Considers the importance of the development of fundamental concepts in chemistry. Proposes an "anticipative" chemical education which would foster a more complete understanding of life sciences. Discusses widening the scope of chemistry and providing a better understanding of brain chemistry. (TW)

A simple oxygen-collecting device (easily constructed from glass jars and a lid) can show bubbles released by water plants during photosynthesis. Suggestions are given for: (1) testing the collected gas; (2) using various carbon dioxide sources; and (3) measuring respiration. (DH)

Surveyed currently available software in the physical sciences, biological sciences, and earth/space sciences. Also examined interdisciplnary and remedial programs. One finding is that the emphasis in science education software is for high school and college students with little software for junior high school teachers or students. (JN)

Outlines activities for each of eight science process skills (observing, using space/time relationships, classifying, using numbers, measuring, communicating, predicting, and inferring). Directions for the activities (all of which use sea shells) are included. (DH)