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Introducing the environment: Ecology and ecosystems
Nature & Environment

Introducing the environment: Ecology and ecosystems

...energy to make the whole thing work. For almost all of the Earth's ecosystems the ultimate source of energy is light from the sun. Activity 3 Timing: 0 hours 15 minutes This section has introduced a number of terms and definitions: for example, ecology, ecosystem, organism, environment, habitat. Some, perhaps all, of these words may be new to you. One way to record them...
Oil majors told to adapt or die
Nature & Environment

Oil majors told to adapt or die

...energy experts, Paul Stevens, a senior research fellow at the London-based Chatham House thinktank, the Royal Institute of International Affairs. Present management strategies within the oil majors have failed to deliver value to shareholders, and profits are declining sharply, Stevens says. Impact on climate Meanwhile, growing public and governmental concerns over fossil...
The science behind your Christmas dinner
Science, Maths & Technology

The science behind your Christmas dinner

...energy, but that is not always good: if we eat more calories than we use in a day, the leftovers will be stored in our bodies in the form of fat. However, their delicious sweet taste might tempt us to eat one more biscuit, just one more bite. Back in the day when people did not have much to eat, a food rich in sugars was a treasure: consuming it would give you enough...
Putting algae and seaweed on the menu could help save our seafood
Science, Maths & Technology

Putting algae and seaweed on the menu could help save our seafood

...energy to do so, leaving less energy for growth and reproduction. Consequently, they up smaller in size. Aside from the impact this has on shellfish, several of the species affected, such as corals in the tropics or coralline algae in the waters around the UK, also play a key role in providing food and nursing grounds for fish. And less fish food leads to fewer fish for...
Earth Day on OpenLearn
Nature & Environment

Earth Day on OpenLearn

...energy, and to triple the global generation of clean electricity by 2030. Find out more about alternative energy sources in some of our free courses on renewable energy: We've also included some tips on how you can make some changes to protect our Earth in the free resources below... Change your diet One of the best ways to help the environment is to reduce your intake of...
Spark it up!
Science, Maths & Technology

Spark it up!

...energy it takes to start up a variety of objects in this game developed to complement the series Shock and Awe: The Story of Electricity...PLEASE NOTE: This interactive was originally created for the broadcast of Shock & Awe: The Story of Electricity in 2011, therefore some of the data may not be up to date. [Spark it up launcher ] Launch Spark it Up Click the image above...
Activity 5 mins
DIY: Generate your own electricity
Science, Maths & Technology

DIY: Generate your own electricity

...energy (itself derived from coal, oil, natural gas, wind, water, nuclear reactions or other sources) into electrical energy. Here, we describe how to use readily available materials to make a simple generator. Although it will only be powerful enough to light a small torch bulb, it works on the same basic principles as the power station generators that supply domestic...
Animals at the extremes: hibernation and torpor
Nature & Environment

Animals at the extremes: hibernation and torpor

...energy-efficient survival when ambient temperatures are so low that foraging or simply maintaining normal core body temperature and basal metabolic rate are either energetically too costly or impossible. Polar endotherms can maintain a high T b even when living actively at sub-zero temperatures. Such animals have very good thermal insulation and may have a plentiful food...