To what extent do pupils perceive science to be inconsistent with religious faith? An exploratory survey of 13-14 year-old English pupils

Scientists hold a wide range of beliefs on matters of religion, although popular media coverage in the UK commonly suggests that atheism is a core commitment for scientists. Considering the relationship between religion and science is a recommended topic in the English National Curriculum for lower secondary pupils (11-14 year-olds), and it is expected that different perspectives will be considered. However it is well established that many pupils may have difficulty accessing sophisticated ideas about the nature of science, and previous research suggests some may identify science with scientism. To explore pupil impressions of the relationship between science and religion, 13-14 year old pupils were surveyed in one class from each of four English secondary schools, by asking them to rate a set of statements about the relationship between science and religion, and scientific and religious perspectives on the origins of the world, and of life on earth, on the value of prayer and on the status of miracles. The survey revealed diverse views on these issues, reflecting the wider society. However it was found that a considerable proportion of the pupils in the sample considered religious beliefs and scientific perspectives to be opposed. The basis and potential consequences of such views are considered, and the need for more attention to this area of student thinking is highlighted.

Resistivity imaging survey of the Roman barrows at Bartlow, Cambridgeshire, UK

Resistivity imaging was carried out on four large Roman barrows at Bartlow in Cambridgeshire. The geophysical survey formed part of a wider research project designed to record and assess the landscape context of the largest surviving Roman burial mounds in Britain. The barrows today range in height from 6.6 m to 13.2 m and their steep profile loosed particular practical and modelling challenges. Data were obtained using a Campus Geopulse resistance meter with up to 50 electrodes spaced at 1 m intervals and lines up to 76 m long. A total of 24 lines was obtained. Topographic corrections were applied to the pseudosections, whichwere inverted using Res 2 Dinv and Res3 Dinv. Resistivity imaging was particularly successful in identifying evidence for the antiquarian explorations of the site. Central collapse features or in-filled tunnels image as high resistance features in all barrows and in one (Barrow IV) there is also a low resistance feature in the approximate position of a known antiquarian tunnel. Barrow VI had a thick covering of high-resistivity that may relate to nineteenth century landscaping and reconstruction of this monument. Resistivity imaging also revealed possible evidence for ancient revetments in all four large barrows. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Legacy effects of grassland management on soil carbon to depth

The importance of managing land to optimise carbon sequestration for climate change mitigation is widely recognised, with grasslands being identified as having the potential to sequester additional carbon. However, most soil carbon inventories only consider surface soils, and most large scale surveys group ecosystems into broad habitats without considering management intensity. Consequently, little is known about the quantity of deep soil carbon and its sensitivity to management. From a nationwide survey of grassland soils to 1 m depth, we show that carbon in grasslands soils is vulnerable to management and that these management effects can be detected to considerable depth down the soil profile, albeit at decreasing significance with depth. Carbon concentrations in soil decreased as management intensity increased, but greatest soil carbon stocks (accounting for bulk density differences), were at intermediate levels of management. Our study also highlights the considerable amounts of carbon in sub-surface soil below 30cm, which is missed by standard carbon inventories. We estimate grassland soil carbon in Great Britain to be 2097 Tg C to a depth of 1 m, with ~60% of this carbon being below 30cm. Total stocks of soil carbon (t ha-1) to 1 m depth were 10.7% greater at intermediate relative to intensive management, which equates to 10.1 t ha-1 in surface soils (0-30 cm), and 13.7 t ha-1 in soils from 30-100 cm depth. Our findings highlight the existence of substantial carbon stocks at depth in grassland soils that are sensitive to management. This is of high relevance globally, given the extent of land cover and large stocks of carbon held in temperate managed grasslands. Our findings have implications for the future management of grasslands for carbon storage and climate mitigation, and for global carbon models which do not currently account for changes in soil carbon to depth with management.