Search Index

Resources specific to A-levels to help students with revision. A-levels Are you a student currently studying A-levels, or looking to choose them in the near future? Read below for tips and guidance! You may also like: Personal statements , IB resources , University prep and Extra resources What are A-levels? Jump to resources A-levels, short for Advanced Level qualifications, are a widely recognised and highly regarded educational program typically taken by students in the United Kingdom (UK) and some other countries. They are usually studied in the final two years of secondary education, typically between the ages of 16 and 18. A-levels offer students the opportunity to specialise in specific subjects of their choice. Students typically choose three or four subjects to study, although this may vary depending on the educational institution. The subjects available can be diverse, covering areas such as sciences, humanities, social sciences, languages, and arts. How are A-levels graded? The A-level grading system is based on a letter grade scale in the UK. Here's an overview of the A-level grading system: Grades: A* (pronounced "A-star"): The highest grade achievable, demonstrating exceptional performance. A: Excellent performance, indicating a strong understanding of the subject. B: Very good performance, showing a solid grasp of the subject. C: Good performance, representing a satisfactory level of understanding. D: Fair performance, indicating a basic understanding of the subject. E: Marginal performance, showing a limited understanding of the subject. U: Ungraded, indicating that the student did not meet the minimum requirements to receive a grade. What are the benefits of studying A-level? A-levels provide students with a variety of advantages, such as a solid academic foundation for further education, the chance to focus on interest-specific areas, and flexibility in planning their course of study. Transferable abilities like critical thinking, problem-solving, and independent research are developed in A-levels, improving both prospects for entrance to universities and future employment opportunities. These widely respected credentials encourage intellectual vigour, intellectual curiosity, and a love of lifelong study. A-levels provide students with a strong foundation for success in higher education and a variety of career pathways, thanks to their academic rigour and global renown. Resources for revision Web sites to hel p Maths / Maths and Further Maths Chemistry / Chemrevise / Chemguide Biology / Quizzes Physics: A-level Physics / Isaac Physics Computer Science topic-by-topic Teach Computer Science Psychology All subjects / Seneca Learning / Save My Exams Physics and Maths Tutor YouTube channels to hel p Chemistry- Allery Chemistry and Eliot Rintoul Past p apers Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths Textbooks (depend on exam board) CGP range for Bio, Chem, Phys, and Maths- exam practice workbooks

An individual may be restricted to a certain range of physical activities which they can participate in. Individuals are usually reliant on the surrounding environment and the maintenance of facilities. If they are not kept well maintained, individuals are usually discouraged. Go back Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Influence of different environmental factors on exercise Last updated: 30/01/25 Published: 10/02/23 The characteristics of environmental factors: - Chemical safety - Air pollution - Climate change and natural disasters - Diseases caused by microbes - Lack of access to health care - Infrastructure issues - Poor water quality - Global environmental issues What are the impacts of these environmental influences on physical activity? An individual may be restricted to a certain range of physical activities which they can participate in. Individuals are usually reliant on the surrounding environment and the maintenance of facilities. If they are not kept well maintained, individuals are usually discouraged. The physiological effect on training: Climate change will disproportionately affect the most vulnerable in our populations, including the very young, the very old, and those with pre-existing health conditions. Training adjustments to compensate for the influence of environmental factors on training: - Treatments for heat stress- stop exercising / move to a shaded or air-conditioned area / remove excess clothing or equipment / drink cold beverages / sit in front of a fan / put a cool piece of cloth around neck / place entire body in cool water e.g. cool bath or shower - Treatments for cold stress- move to a warm environment / remove cold and wet clothes / find access to warm air such as heaters, or fireplace / use electric or non-electric blankets / drink warm beverages Written by Kushwant Nathoo Related articles: Impacts of negligent exercise on physiology / Physical and mental health / Environmental impact of EVs

Explore artificial intelligence, a technology that has taken the world by storm. Learn how it is used in fields like agriculture, drug discovery, and outer space. Elsewhere, get to grips with semi-conductor manufacturing, quantum computing, and biotechnology. Technology Articles Explore artificial intelligence, a technology that has taken the world by storm. Learn how it is used in fields like agriculture, drug discovery, and outer space. Elsewhere, get to grips with semi-conductor manufacturing, quantum computing, and biotechnology. You may also like: Maths , Physics , Engineering Fake science websites Ways fake science websites misinform and misguide readers The evolution of artificial intelligence And its greater role in natural language processor technologies Medical biotechnology Technology in the medical sciences Quantum computing What are its applications? Improving agriculture Revolutionising sustainable agriculture through AI AI in drug discovery Using this technology in drug research Digital disinformation With the use of IT cells Digital innovation in rural farming What are the benefits? AI in space What is artificial intelligence used for in outer space? Radiation therapy to treat cancer Revolutionising patient setup in cancer treatment AI: the good, the bad, and the future A Scientia News Biology group collaboration Photonic integration In semiconductor manufacturing Nanomedicine Tiny solutions for big health problems NHS clinical computer scientist Exploring the day-to-day routine in this new field in healthcare Semi-conductor laser technology The recent advancements Code to cure How bioinformatics and technology helped to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 Virtual reality in healthcare Its potential Mauritius's rise as African leader of mobile networks An in-depth look at the rollout of 5G on the island, and the factors enabling this

Conservation, diseases, animal behaviour, adaptation and survival. Expand your knowledge on the incredible diversity of life on Earth with these articles. Zoology Articles Conservation, diseases, animal behaviour, adaptation and survival. Expand your knowledge on the incredible diversity of life on Earth with these articles. You may also like: Biology , and Ecology Deception by African birds The species Dicrurus adsimilis uses deception by flexible alarm mimicry to target and carry out food-theft attempts An experiment on ochre stars Investigating the relative fitness of the species Pisaster ocharceus Orcinus orca A species report Rare zoonotic diseases We all know about COVID-19. But what about the other zoonotic diseases? Article #1 in a series on Rare diseases. Marine iguanas Their conservation The cost of coats 55 years of vicuna conservation in South America. Article #1 in a series on animal conservation around the world. Conserving the California condor These birds live on the west coast of North America. Article #2 in a series on animal conservation around the world. Emperor penguins Kings of ice. Article #6 in a series on animal conservation around the world. Protecting rock-wallabies in Australia A group of 25 animal species, and subspecies related to kangaroos. Article #7 in a series on animal conservation around the world. Do other animals get periods? Looking at menstruation in non-human animals e.g. monkeys, bats Same-sex attraction in non-human animals SSSB in birds, mammals, and invertebrates Changing sex in fish Why some fish change sex during their lifetimes

Brush up on your mathematical knowledge with informative articles ranging from statistics and topology, to latent space transformations and Markov chain models. Maths Articles Brush up on your mathematical knowledge with informative articles ranging from statistics and topology, to latent space transformations and Markov chain models. You may also like: Economics , Physics , Engineering and Technology Unlocking the power of statistics What statistics are and its importance Latent spac e transformations Their hidden power in machine learning Topology In action Teaching maths How we can apply maths in our lives How to excel in maths A useful resource for students studying the subject Cognitive decision-making The maths involved Cross-curricular maths The game of life The maths behind trading A comprehensive guide to the Relative Strength Index (RSI) Markov chain models Named after the Russian mathematician, Andrei Markov, who had first studied them Proving causation Investigating why correlation doesn't necessarily mean causation, via Randomised Controlled Trials and Instrumental Variables

Resources to help you prepare for university admission. Entrance Exam Preparation Resources to help you with university admission for: medicine , dentistry, natural sciences , physics , maths , engineering . Do note these entrance exams are mainly for UK universities, but can be used for international unis too. It is advised to check with the university when applying. You may also like: Personal statements , A-level resources, IB resources and Extra resources MEDICINE: University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) UCAT resources: UCAT website / The Medic Portal / 6med UCAT Books: 1300 UCAT Practice Questions / 1250 UKCAT Practice Questions / UCAT 700+ UCAT online course: Medify Help with medical exams DENTISTRY: UCAT and BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT; for University of Leeds only) Dentistry application preparation BMAT: online mastery course / Medify guide / Past papers / 700 BMAT Practice Questions / BMAT ebook For UCAT resources, see above OTHER ADMISSION TESTS Engineering: STEP / PAT University of Cambridge: natural sciences (NSAA) / engineering (ENGAA) / maths (STEP) / physics (PAT)

Laser Interferometric Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link The physics of the world’s largest gravitational-wave observatory: LIGO 23/10/25, 10:23 Last updated: Published: 11/05/24, 11:16 Laser Interferometric Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) Since the confirmation of detection, talk of gravitational waves has drastically increased in the public forum. In February 2016, the Laser Interferometric Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) Collaboration announced that they had sensed gravitational waves, or ripples in spacetime, caused by the collision of two black holes approximately 1.3 billion light years away. Such an amazing feat quickly became globalized news with many asking how it could be physically possible to detect an event occurring at an unimaginable distance? For some, the entire situation feels incomprehensible. Although named an observatory, LIGO looks quite different from observatories such as the late Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico, or the Lowell Observatory in Arizona. Instead of being related to the traditional telescope concept, LIGO is comprised of two interferometers, one in Hanford, Washington and the other in Livingston, Louisiana, that use lasers to detect vibrations in the fabric of spacetime. An interferometer is an L-shaped apparatus with mirrors at the end of each arm specifically positioned to split the incoming light waves, specifically in this case laser waves, into an interference pattern. This pattern is then detected by a device called a photodetector, which converts the pattern into carefully recorded data. When an incredibly violent event occurs, two black holes colliding, for instance, that action results in a massive release of energy that ripples across the fabric of spacetime. The energy from the event vibrates the laser light causing a change in the recorded light pattern. This change is also recorded by the photodetector and stored as data, which scientists can collect to analyze as needed. Because the LIGO detector is so sensitive, there are a number of systems in place to maintain its functionality and reliability. The apparatus is comprised of four main systems: 1) seismic isolation that focuses on removing non-gravitational-wave detections (also called ‘noise’) 2) optics that regulate the laser 3) a vacuum system preserving the continuity of the laser by removing dust from the components 4) computing infrastructure that manages the collected scientific data. The collaboration of these systems helps to minimize the number of false detections. False detections are also kept at a minimum with the effective communication between the Washington and Louisiana LIGO sites. It took months for the official announcement of the 2015 gravitational-wave detection because both locations had to compare data to ensure that the detection of one apparatus was also accurately detected by the other apparatus. Because of human activity on Earth, there can be a number of vibrations similar to gravitational-wave ripples, but ultimately are shown to be terrestrial events rather than celestial ones. So, while LIGO physics itself is fairly straightforward, the interpretation of the gathered data tends to be tricky. Written by Amber Elinsky Related articles: the DESI instrument / the JWST / The physics behind cumulus clouds / Light Project Gallery

A glimpse into the early universe Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) 23/10/25, 10:22 Last updated: Published: 08/07/23, 13:11 A glimpse into the early universe June 2023 marked the early release of data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). This instrument will study the nature of Dark Energy, an elusive addition to our cosmological equations that is thought to explain the accelerating expansion of the Universe. Current models estimate that Dark Energy comprises 68% of the total mass and energy of the universe and is distinct from matter and radiation in the sense that as space expands, its energy density remains constant rather than diluting. Imagine your favourite concentrated juice drink tasting the same regardless of how much water you add! DESI will investigate the large-scale structure of the Universe, obtaining spectra of around 40 million galaxies and using their redshift to create 3-D distance maps. The five-year observation effort has aptly been dubbed an experiment in “cosmic cartography”. (Redshift is the phenomenon wherein the light from objects moving away from us is stretched to longer and redder wavelengths.) The revolutionary engineering behind this instrument enables the measurement of light from more than 100,000 galaxies in a single night! This includes 5,000 optical fibres, each connected to a robotic positioner programmed to aim at galaxies from a specified target list. The survey is conducted on the 4-metre Mayall Telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. Another staggering feature DESI boasts is that the eventual sample size will outstrip the 20-year Sloan Digital Sky Survey by a factor of 10 in extra-galactic targets! The early release contains 80 Terabytes of data, representing 2% of the total dataset that should be available in 2026. See Figures 1 and 2. In 2005, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey found a signal that DESI will validate and make more precise. This signal is that of Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations (BAO). In the incredibly early universe, there were protons and neutrons, known as baryons, which existed in a hot, dense plasma with electrons. Photons were trapped in this plasma due to the extremely high probability of colliding with an electron. The universe was opaque. Only when the universe had cooled sufficiently so that protons and electrons could form neutral hydrogen atoms—an epoch known as recombination*—*did photons decouple from matter. The Cosmic Microwave Background is actually caused by these photons that were emitted after recombination. Before photons decoupled, the gravitational and high-pressure interactions in the plasma produced oscillations that radiated spherically outward from overdense regions, causing photons and baryons to travel through space together. However, as mentioned earlier, when the universe cooled and photons decoupled, the baryonic matter that was present in these oscillations became essentially frozen in space. The photons were free to stream throughout the now-transparent universe. This provided a so-called standard ruler, the distance that these baryons had travelled as an acoustic oscillation prior to recombination. Linking this back to Dark Energy requires the important detail that the radius of the spherical shell of baryons is tied to the expansion rate of the universe. As Dark Energy has propelled the Universe to expand, this standard ruler has expanded with it. See Figure 3. DESI's 3-D map of galaxies will provide a much clearer picture of the universe's large-scale structure, which is our only hope of finding the imprint of BAO. DESI will show (and has already shown) that there exists an overabundance of galaxies separated by a distance equivalent to the length of the standard ruler. Today, the size of this standard ruler is thought to be approximately 490 million lightyears. DESI represents an impressive step into the era of precision cosmology, and it will require the efforts of hundreds of scientists to make sense of the vast quantities of data we expect by 2026. Written by Joseph Brennan Related articles: Light Project Gallery

​Dive into the latest biological research! Read about animal testing and ethics, and learn about the regulation and policy of stem cell research. Biology Articles Dive into the latest biological research! Read about animal testing and ethics, and learn about the regulation and policy of stem cell research. You may also like: Cancer , Ecology , Genetics , Immunology , Neuroscience , Zoology , and Medicine Regulation and policy of stem cell research The 14-day rule and stem cell-based embryo models COMING SOON COMING SOON COMING SOON Previous

Protective bodies regulate animal use in research worldwide Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Animal ethics: the good, the bad, and the ugly? 23/10/25, 10:20 Last updated: Published: 09/06/24, 11:07 Protective bodies regulate animal use in research worldwide Many research trials involve using animals, specifically those labelled as ‘model organisms’. This refers to species of animals that are desirable for scientific research as they are usually cost-effective, easily manipulated, and well understood in terms of their genetic background. Good knowledge of their genetic background allows for these experiments to be applied with the intention of human benefit. Protective bodies regulate animal use in research worldwide, albeit with various degrees of severity. One of the strictest regions when it comes to animal legislation is the United Kingdom. The Animal Scientific Procedures Act 1986 protects the use of animals in the UK; they, do this by only licensing trusted individuals and experiments that follow the principle of the ‘3Rs’. This principle aims to; r educe the number of animals used r efine procedures to reduce pain r eplace experiments on animals with artificial systems such as cell cultures. Research by Byron Blagburn and coworkers had some controversy as they tested four commercially available heartworm preventatives in dogs, as they first had to infect them. This parasitic worm that was infected in the dogs is extremely severe and life-threatening. The point of the experiment was to see which was the most effective treatment, and they did find that the combination of imidacloprid and moxidectin was 100% effective at eradicating the infection. Despite this research being approved by the Auburn University, Alabama USA Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, many ethical principles were breached. As the dogs had no choice but to participate in the experiment which completely disregards the autonomy of the dogs. However, Byron and his colleagues would counteract that argument by saying they acted with beneficence as the study’s intention was to find out what was the best treatment for the dogs to improve their health. But for this beneficence to be achieved, non-maleficence was broken as the dogs were given parasitic infections that inflicted pain. Unfortunately, according to the DxE investigators (Direct Action Everywhere), after 5 months the dogs were euthanised. Although the researchers defended the morality of their study by pointing out that all treatments were already in commerce, some have argued that the infection of a previously healthy dog with a parasite is morally wrong. Many religions and groups oppose the use of animals in research as they value animal life as much as human life. Buddhists, for example, believe that animals have moral significance, as the Buddha condemns occupations that involve harming animals and encourages his followers to help animals where they can. While many groups stand against this research, most of our findings and medicine today would not be available without the contribution of animals. According to the American Medical Association: Virtually every advance in medical science in the 20th century, from antibiotics and vaccines to antidepressant drugs and organ transplants, has been achieved either directly or indirectly through the use of animals in laboratory experiments. Thus, showing how important the use of animals is in terms of medical advancements and improvement of human life. One of the most vocal groups is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ( PETA): PETA is an organisation advocating for animal rights and strongly opposing many of the current research studies. For example, the research of sepsis is undertaken at many universities like Pittsburgh and California involves puncturing of mice intestines while awake and then stitching multiple of these punctured mice together. This then leads to the excruciating death of these animals. Now, this has aided in the knowledge of sepsis and potential treatment. However, the autonomy of the animals is disregarded whilst the researchers act with maleficence. Therefore in 2024 we are at a vital stage with animal experimentation as the intention is for improving health and can be argued to be necessary for the advancing medicine for humans and animals. Nevertheless, religious groups and animal rights groups believe that justice is not being served as the animals are subject to harm without a choice. Despite the advancements of artificial systems such as organ-on-a-chip (OOC) - multi-channel 3-D microfluidic cell culture that simulates the activities, mechanics and physiological response of an entire organ or an organ system, the findings of animal studies are required before trialling within humans. When artificial systems improve and become more available there could be a world where animal studies are limited or non-existent to please animal rights activists and still aid the enhancements of modern-day medicine. Written by Harvey Wilkes Related articles: Regulation and policy of stem cell research / Miniature organs in biomedicine REFERENCES Blagburn, B.L., Arther, R.G., Dillon, A.R., Butler, J.M., Bowles, J.V., von Simson, C. and Zolynas, R., 2016. Efficacy of four commercially available heartworm preventive products against the JYD-34 laboratory strain of Dirofilaria immitis. Parasites & vectors, 9, pp.1-10. Mice stitched together, injected with bacteria-take action! (no date) PETA. Available at: https://support.peta.org/page/6980/action/1?locale=en-US (Accessed: 29 May 2024). Project Gallery