On this page, you will find some recommendations on what to watch, read, listen and do to engage with your subject. As well as feeding your intellectual curiosity, these links may provide useful material for your UCAS statement. Once you have engaged with the links, make sure that you practise putting your thoughts into words with the writing activity at the end.
Watch
Susan Greenfield discusses the neuroscience of consciousness
Richard Dawkins interviews Steven Pinker for the documentary ‘The Genius of Darwin’
CRISPR inventor Jennifer Doudna discusses how we can edit DNA
Jim Al-Khalili explores quantum physics in biology
Read
On the Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin
Read Watson’s and Crick’s original paper on the structure of DNA
Scientists find genetic mutation that makes woman feel no pain
Learn about the Nobel Prize winning Green Fluorescent Protein
Listen
Brian Cox and Robin Ince in The Infinite Monkey Cage
Jim Al-Khalili’s podcast Life Scientific
Podcasts on biology from the University of Oxford
The Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast
Award winning podcast The Naked Scientists
Do
- Explore the connections between medicine, life and art at the Wellcome Collection.
- Learn about natural history by exploring the vast collection of life and earth science specimens at the Natural History Museum.
- Take part in a biology lecture during the annual Cambridge Science Festival, the UK’s largest free science festival.
Write
- To apply to university, you need to demonstrate that you are well informed about the subject and have a strong interest in studying it at greater depth. To get started, practice writing about your subject interests by composing short responses to the following questions:
- What have you watched, read or listened to that has inspired you?
- Why was it interesting?
- What new issues did you learn about?
- What do you want to find out next?
- What excites you about the subject?
- Why do you think studying the subject is important?