The Science of Skin

| 0 Comments

Skin colour matters to our students. As much as we’d like to pretend otherwise, it’s still something that plays a big role in how they define each other and how they define themselves. I’ve found that my students are fascinated by the brief discussion we have about skin colour when looking at melanin in the P2 unit of the 21st Century Science course. It’s refreshing for them to take a scientific look at the issue and it’s definitely one of the “relevant” bits of the course that actually makes an impact on them. This video provides an in-depth look at the science of skin colour. It’s probably too long to use in class, but definitely worth pointing out to students who might be interested.

Leave a comment

Blog posts

BBC iScience films for GCSE Science
A few years ago, I helped make a bunch of films intended for use in GCSE Science lessons. I was…
Physics Demonstration Videos
Thanks to the generosity and support of The National STEM Centre and the Institute of Physics, Jonathan Sanderson and I,…
Science vs Magic - a work in progress
It’s a few days since I came back from the Cheltenham Science Festival and I’m still buzzing. My live science…
King of the Universe
This is a piece I wrote for The Times Science Blog back in March 2010. The Times no longer allow…
The Danger of Science Denial
I’ve recently been marking GCSE “case studies” - coursework where students get to “research a science related question” e.g., Should…