This film is from the series Biomimetics - Designed by Nature available on BBC Teach. Scientists are applying their study of the natural world to the development of exciting new innovations. Fran Scott shows inspirational examples of man-made products that are interpreting nature’s biological functions. For example, spiders silk inspiring Kevlar, termite mounds inspiring passive cooling in buildings, whale fins inspiring turbine blades, sea sponges inspiring fibre optics and lotus leaves inspiring self-cleaning paint. Teacher Notes This film is a good introduction into biomimetics. This clip can be used to inspire students and give them reference points for further research. It shows the process researchers go through to arrive at their innovative design ideas. Students could take an investigative approach to the natural world around them and apply their design thinking to generate new ideas. Curriculum Notes This clip is suitable for GCSE Design and Technology and touches upon topics that appear in AQA, OCR A, EDEXCEL, EDUQAS, WJEC GCSE in England and Wales, and CCEA GCSE in Northern Ireland and SQA National 5 in Scotland. The purpose of BBC’s content is to inform, educate and entertain. As such, students, teachers, schools, and other established educational bodies may utilise such content for educational purposes via an ERA Licence. Without an ERA Licence, reasonable use of the content (for the purposes set out above) may still be possible, however; any such use must be in line with the BBC’s Terms of Use. Whilst this is not an exhaustive list, when using and or sharing BBC Education content, you must comply with the BBC’s Terms of Use and where relevant, YouTube’s terms and conditions, ensuring that: a) there aren’t any advertisements on or around the BBC content; b) there aren’t any charges for access and or charges associated with the content (clearly stating that the content is free to access); and c) you do not state or imply (in any way) that there is a relationship and or any endorsement from the BBC to you. We ask that you read the said terms before using any of BBC’s services. When you use BBC’s services and content, you’re agreeing to the BBC’s terms of use.

This film is from the series The Imagineers available on BBC Teach. Fran Scott meets Dr Eleanor Stride from the University of Oxford who is working on using nano-bubbles to deliver drugs to specific parts of the human body. Dr Stride explains that cancer drugs are poisonous and have many side effects. Her research uses microscopic bubbles of gas coated with a special shell containing these drugs which are then injected into the patient’s blood. More than half of the drugs we develop are too poisonous to work. Using nano-bubbles means a much smaller dose is required and so this technology may allow us to use more drugs in the future. Teacher Notes This clip could be shown as an example of how a basic product (chemotherapy drugs) can undergo significant change through concentrating on one aspect (in this case, delivery). As a class, discuss the basic brief and its aims. Students should see that the chosen solution, involving use of magnets and ultrasound, is not dictated by the brief, but is just one way of answering it. A practical exercise could then be carried out, based on a delivery system for a fragile object. In groups, students could invent systems that will transport eggs from one side of the class to the other, leaving the contents (without shell) in a bowl, ready for use. When the egg is broken, how the shell is separated, and how automated the system is, is up to them. Curriculum Notes This clip will be relevant for teaching Design & Technology and Chemistry at KS3 and GCSE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 3rd and 4th Level in Scotland. Appears in AQA, OCR, EDEXCEL, CCEA, WJEC, SQA. The purpose of BBC’s content is to inform, educate and entertain. As such, students, teachers, schools, and other established educational bodies may utilise such content for educational purposes via an ERA Licence. Without an ERA Licence, reasonable use of the content (for the purposes set out above) may still be possible, however; any such use must be in line with the BBC’s Terms of Use. Whilst this is not an exhaustive list, when using and or sharing BBC Education content, you must comply with the BBC’s Terms of Use and where relevant, YouTube’s terms and conditions, ensuring that: a) there aren’t any advertisements on or around the BBC content; b) there aren’t any charges for access and or charges associated with the content (clearly stating that the content is free to access); and c) you do not state or imply (in any way) that there is a relationship and or any endorsement from the BBC to you. We ask that you read the said terms before using any of BBC’s services. When you use BBC’s services and content, you’re agreeing to the BBC’s terms of use.

This film is from the series Gastro Lab available on BBC Teach. Paralympic athlete, Jordanne Whiley, explains why carbohydrates are important in her diet. Meanwhile, Stefan Gates uses a ‘sugar shotgun’ to illustrate how energy is released from food and creates heat. We hear about the difference between complex and simple carbohydrates, their food sources, their function in the body and the energy they release. We are advised to get 55% of our calories from carbohydrate rich foods, particularly complex carbohydrates such as wholegrains, wholemeal bread, rice and potatoes. The links between simple carbohydrates, or sugar, and the risk of tooth decay, heart disease and weight gain are explained. The idea of balancing energy in and energy out is highlighted. Teacher Notes You could ask your students to compare the amount of calories per 100g or per portion found in a selection of carbohydrate-based foods, by examining food labels or using nutritional analysis. These foods could be placed in rank order and evaluated as to which would be the best to eat before a marathon. Curriculum Notes This short film is relevant for teaching biology and food technology at Key Stage 3 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 3rd Level in Scotland The purpose of BBC’s content is to inform, educate and entertain. As such, students, teachers, schools, and other established educational bodies may utilise such content for educational purposes via an ERA Licence. Without an ERA Licence, reasonable use of the content (for the purposes set out above) may still be possible, however; any such use must be in line with the BBC’s Terms of Use. Whilst this is not an exhaustive list, when using and or sharing BBC Education content, you must comply with the BBC’s Terms of Use and where relevant, YouTube’s terms and conditions, ensuring that: a) there aren’t any advertisements on or around the BBC content; b) there aren’t any charges for access and or charges associated with the content (clearly stating that the content is free to access); and c) you do not state or imply (in any way) that there is a relationship and or any endorsement from the BBC to you. We ask that you read the said terms before using any of BBC’s services. When you use BBC’s services and content, you’re agreeing to the BBC’s terms of use.