The Sun is dying, getting hotter as it goes. Eventually it will shrink into a black dwarf, but life will have vanished long before. Physics - Our Solar System - Learning Points. The Sun is 5 billion years old and will begin to die in 5...

Steam power lay at the heart of the Industrial Revolution. Discover steam power's historic legacy, how it works, and how much it is still used today. Physics - Energy And Radioactivity - Learning Points. The steam engine is one of the...

Where does Saturn fit into the Solar System and what makes this planet unique? Physics - Our Solar System - Learning Points. Saturn is the 6th planet from the Sun. Saturn has such a low density that it would float on water. There are...

How enzymes power the everyday chemical reactions our bodies rely on. Biology - Cells And DNA - Learning Points. A Twig FactPack Film. Open a discussion on what has been already learnt in a topic, or use to grab attention at the start of...

Our Sun is a medium sized star, which creates the perfect conditions for life on Earth. What happens on the Sun and how do stars, including the Sun, live and die? Physics - Our Solar System - Learning Points. The Sun is 4.6 billion years...

Where does Neptune fit into the Solar System and what makes this planet unique? Physics - Our Solar System - Learning Points. Neptune is the 8th planet from the Sun. It takes Neptune 165 Earth years to orbit the Sun. Neptune has the...

The cause and impacts of the five mass extinction events in Earth's history, and predictions for a sixth which could end human life. Biology - Adaptation And Evolution - Learning Points. Is Earth experiencing its six mass extinction, as...

From the Russians' attempt to colonise the Moon to eccentric plans for Mars. Physics - Universe - Learning Points. The longest anyone has ever stayed on the Moon is 75 hours. Helium-3 is rare on Earth but can be processed from Moon soil,...

The enormous challenge of building a probe capable of travelling over 1 billion kilometres to reach Saturn's moon, Titan. Physics - Universe - Learning Points. Huygens probe was designed by the European Space Agency at a cost of £400...

The explosive reactions and forces, from gravity to nuclear fsion, which formed our Solar System. Physics - Our Solar System - Learning Points. Our Solar System is the region of space which falls within the gravitational influence of our...

Deserts are regions that receive very little precipitation each year, but how are they formed? The unique characteristics of the world's deserts, from hot to polar. Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. Deserts are the driest...

The first probe to successfully land on another planet arrived on Venus, where it found one of the most hostile atmospheres known to man. Physics - Our Solar System - Learning Points. In 1971, the Russians succeeded in landing the Venera...

Learn how scientists can predict volcanic activity using seismology to monitor lava patterns deep underground. Earth Science - Geology - Learning Points. Scientists use seismology to predict an eruption. A "long-period event" involves...

When a group of scientists claimed they had achieved nuclear fusion, the discovery became one of the most controversial of the 20th century. What is fusion, and what role does heat play in it? Physics - Energy And Radioactivity -...

Unreachable by man, scientists have developed a complex experiment to demonstrate the heat and pressure at the centre of the Earth. Earth Science - Geology - Learning Points. The Earth's core is a dense ball of iron and nickel. To...

Even though the planet is warming, the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth's surface is decreasing. What is causing this, and what effect does it have? Earth Science - Human Impacts - Learning Points. Global dimming is the reduction in...

What makes a tornado nature's most dangerous storm? Scientists are working to identify the unique set of circumstances which combine to create a tornado. Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. Tornadoes are a violent, spinning vortex...

To survive, plants have developed adaptations to regulate temperature and water, and maximise the capture of sunlight. Some plants have even evolved to survive in extreme environments of hot deserts and Polar regions. Biology - Plants -...

Water can either be a solid, a liquid or a gas. How does matter change state? Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning Points. Ice, liquid water and steam all consist of exactly the same molecules. Evaporation occurs when the temperature...

Large-scale nuclear fusion is one of the ultimate goals of science which has yet to be achieved. How does nuclear fusion work and is a future likely in which we can reproduce the power of a star on Earth? Earth Science - Earth's...

Heat waves form when an area of high pressure becomes stationary over a region. The heat wave that struck Chicago brought hot sunny tropical weather, but its effects were devastating. Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. A heat...

How a race between two scientists to liquefy gases led them near to absolute zero - the coldest temperature possible. Physics - Energy And Radioactivity - Learning Points. Absolute zero occurs at -273.15 degrees Celsius. Absolute zero is...

It's been 65 million years since the dinosaurs became extinct. But what wiped them out? Hear arguments from the Gradualists and Catastrophists. Biology - Adaptation And Evolution - Learning Points. 65 million years ago the dinosaurs...

Can we rely on thermometer readings alone as proof of global warming? Do satellite temperature readings lead to the same conclusions? Earth Science - Human Impacts - Learning Points. Small increases in average global temperatures have...