All resources

Browse all ‘Big Picture’ resources, including animations, games, video and audio files. Some resources are stand-alone, while others are associated with a specific classroom activity.

Games

Browse all the games created for ‘Big Picture’.

Genes and genetics games
Free online games and explore more about genes and inheritance.
From ‘Genes, Genomes and Health’, January 2010

Climate Health Impact
Sustain the health of the global community by implementing strategies and performing research in order to prevent disease and combat the effects of global warming.
From ‘Health and Climate Change’, January 2009

NanoMission
Medicines do not simply enter the body and wander around until they find something to cure, and getting compounds to their intended target is one of the biggest challenged for drug manufacturers. The virtual lab in this game allows you to go from the organ view down to individual cells, analysing the cells compositions, travelling down the blood stream and seeing the medicine you’ve created in action.
From ‘Drug Development’, January 2008

Democs
Card game about nanoscience and nanotechnologies.
From ‘Nanoscience’, June 2005

The OBs
This game enables students to explore the complex interactions between genotype, socio-economic setting, upbringing, and chance in the context of obesity. Control your own OB character by selecting what he/she should eat and how much he/she should exercise. Keep your OB happy and healthy to succeed.
From ‘Obesity’, January 2005

Animations and images

Browse all the animations and image galleries created for ‘Big Picture’.

The action potential
Watch or download our animation about the action potential.
From ‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013

Types of brain imaging
MRI, CT, PET - all those acronyms can seem confusing, but never fear! In this gallery we take a tour of some of the common types of imaging used to explore the brain, and to understand the effects things like stroke, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease can have on the brain.
From ‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013

The history of understanding the brain
How did we try and understand the brain before things like magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography were developed? Take a tour of 16 images - all free for you to use in your classroom - to find out.
From ‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013

Careers in biology
Browse our collection of 12 images, all of which are related to the occupations that are profiled in the 'Careers From Biology' issue of 'Big Picture'.
From ‘Careers From Biology’, summer 2012

Sliding filament theory
This animation shows the sliding filament theory of human muscle contraction.
From ‘Exercise, Energy and Movement’, spring 2012

Bones and the skeleton
By transmitting force and providing leverage, our skeleton allows us to move. Browse our gallery of 11 images of bones and skeletons to get closer to what's inside all of us.
From ‘Exercise, Energy and Movement’, spring 2012

Lungs, heart and respiration
Our lungs, our heart and the rest of our respiratory and circulatory systems are vital for getting oxygen into and around our bodies, as well as for getting rid of waste products. You can find out more about these vital body parts in this collection of nine images.
From ‘Exercise, Energy and Movement’, spring 2012

Movement and exercise
Living things move to survive, but humans move for many other kinds of reasons too. This gallery of 13 photographs and illustrations shows some of the different ways people move, particularly for exercise and physical training.
From ‘Exercise, Energy and Movement’, spring 2012

Muscles and tendons
Muscles are involved in all kinds of biological processes, from locomotion to squeezing food through the digestive tract. We've chosen seven images that put muscles and tendons under the microscope.
From ‘Exercise, Energy and Movement’, spring 2012

Atheroma in the artery
This animation shows the development of atheroma in the artery. You can see how cholesterol accumulates in the bloodstream, triggering an immune response and resulting in the formation of a blood clot.
From ‘Food and Diet’, summer 2011

The anatomy of the digestive system
Starting with the teeth, travelling through the gastrointestinal tract and ending with the rectum and anus, we've put together images that take you on a tour through the digestive system.
From ‘Food and Diet’, summer 2011

Diet and disease
What we choose to eat has a direct impact on our health and bodies. In this gallery, take a close-up look at different nutrients and foodstuffs, as well as some of the diseases that can occur if your diet lacks certain vitamins.
From ‘Food and Diet’, summer 2011

Nutrition in low- and middle-income countries
This gallery highlights some of the problems in nutrition and food production faced by people living in low- and middle-income countries, then looks at some potential solutions.
From ‘Food and Diet’, summer 2011

Historical views of the body
How have thoughts about the 'ideal body' changed throughout history? This gallery gives a taste of the different ways that the human body has been viewed over time.
From ‘Food and Diet’, summer 2011

Cells in hearing
This animation explores how the cells in your ear help to transmit sound to your brain.
From ‘The Cell’, January 2011

Galleries exploring aspects of imaging
The cell is a fascinating place and it's thanks, in large part, to developments in microscopy that we know what we know today about cell structure, size and specialisation. To give a taste of the power of imaging in understanding cells, we've selected a series of photographs, illustrations and micrographs for seven image galleries.
From ‘The Cell’, January 2011

The history of addiction gallery
Browse our gallery of 16 historical and modern images exploring drug and alcohol use. From artists' representations of addiction in society to posters used by governments to try and educate people of the risks, these images show how addictive substances have been used - and abused - by people across the world for centuries.
From ‘Addiction’, May 2010

Genes and genetics gallery
Images relating to about DNA, genomes and health.
From ‘Genes, Genomes and Health’, January 2010

Match the drug to its source
Many drugs used today are version of natural chemicals. Drag a drug to its original source in this animation.
From ‘Drug Development’, January 2008

Drug development pathway
An animation illustrating all the stages of drug development.
From ‘Drug Development’, January 2008

How small is small?
Nanoscience deals with the extremely tiny: distances less than 100 nanometres (nm). But just how small is that? To help you get a handle on the very small scale of nanotechnology, we have put together a simple animation.
From ‘Nanoscience’, June 2005

Bugs gallery
They may look beautiful, but once having set up home in our bodies these organisms are harmful or even deadly.
From ‘Epidemics’, September 2007

Historical gallery
A history of fighting infection in pictures.
From ‘Epidemics’, September 2007

Illusions gallery
A selection of optical illusions.
From ‘Thinking’, September 2006

Video

Browse all the videos created for ‘Big Picture’.

Scanning stroke
For this film, the Big Picture team met Sarah Scott, a charming young woman who experienced a stroke at the age of 18 while still at school. Now 22, Sarah is slowly recovering but continues to experience problems with both written and spoken language.
From ‘Inside the Brain’, spring 2013

Where could studying biology lead?
Ahmed, a student from Winchmore School in London, is doing a biology A level and considering a career in medicine. In this short video, Ahmed meets three people, who are using their biology A levels in very different capacities.
From ‘Careers in biology’, summer 2012

Bone biomechanics
Biomechanics expert Dr Sandra Shefelbine (Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College, London), uses elaborate models and her own body to explain arm movement.
From ‘Exercise, Energy and Movement’, spring 2012

Exercise mythbusting
How much should we exercise? Why do muscles get sore? Are fitness drinks worth it? Find out the answers to these questions and more on the effects of exercise on metabolism and how to treat sore muscles in this short video.
From ‘Exercise, Energy and Movement’, spring 2012

Ye olde kitchen challenge
In this film, archivist Helen Wakely presents Senior Sous Chef Zack Mila with such a recipe from 300 years ago. In the absence of vital details, such as cooking times and temperatures, is Zack's experience enough to bring the past back to delicious life?
From ‘Food and Diet’, summer 2011

The art and science of bread
Paul Rhodes, artisan baker, guides us through the process of making thousands of cakes, rolls and loaves of bread every day.
From ‘Food and Diet’, summer 2011

Modelling the stomach
In this film, you can see a working mechanical stomach being used to demonstrate how the human stomach works. What happens when you feed it vegetable soup?
From ‘Food and Diet’, summer 2011

Testing digestion with a model stomach
This film shows how an experiment to test the delivery of probiotics (or 'friendly bacteria') in different substances to the intestines might be carried out using a model stomach. The film is split into sections with questions about the experimental method to allow it to be used as a teaching aid.
From ‘Food and Diet’, summer 2011

Working with cells
Marianne Baker is a PhD student who works with cells as part of her research into understanding how blood vessels grow to feed tumours. Like all living things, cells need to be carefully looked after - watch our video to see what Marianne has to do to feed, grow and monitor her cells in the lab.
From ‘The Cell’, January 2011

Interview with a recovering gambling addict
Stuart has a long history of addictive behaviour, particularly problem gambling. Now receiving counselling through GamCare, he is attempting to turn his life around. Watch this video to hear his story.
From ‘Addiction’, May 2010

Interview with an addiction therapist
What is addiction? Can you tell an addict from their appearance? Are some people more likely to become addicts than others? These are just some of the questions explored in this short film.
From ‘Addiction’, May 2010

Interview with the parents of heroin addicts
Elizabeth Burton-Phillips, author of 'Mum, Can You Lend Me Twenty Quid?', and her husband, Tony, speak openly about the gradual descent of their identical twin sons into the nightmare of heroin addiction.
From ‘Addiction’, May 2010

National DNA Database
Should everyone in the UK be added to the National DNA Database?
From ‘Genes, Genomes and Health’, January 2010

Genetic testing
A selection of videos considering some of the issues surrounding genetic testing.
From ‘Genes, Genomes and Health’, January 2010

Interview with Troi ‘DJ Chinaman’ Lee
Troi, who was born deaf, is the head organiser of Deaf Rave, a music party for deaf people. Here he talks about Deaf Rave and explains how he experiences music.
From ‘Music, Mind and Medicine’, May 2009

Living with dwarfism
Interview with Nichola and Stefan, who both have achondroplasia.
From ‘How We Look’, June 2008

Changing Faces
Interview with three people from a facial disfigurement charity.
From ‘How We Look’, June 2008

Interview with Jan
Video interview with Jan, who has undergone cosmetic surgery.
From ‘How We Look’, June 2008

Illusions
Charlie Chaplin illusion (in this video clip, the rear of a mask of Charlie Chaplin is hollow, but can appear convex like a normal face) and a video illustrating that although we may think our gaze is steady, our eyes are constantly darting around.
From ‘Thinking’, September 2006

Audio

Browse all the audio created for ‘Big Picture’.

Library of music and audio effects
Various audio files split into two groups: tracks specifically intended for use alongside a classroom activity and homework exercises, and some more general tracks illustrate different audio effects.
From ‘Music, Mind and Medicine’, May 2009

The Devil’s Alliance [MP3 23MB]
A play written by Radio 4 playwright Alastair Jessiman, in two parts - the first set in prison, the second in a hospital isolation ward. It is about one man's personal experience of TB and the emotional consequences of isolation.
From ‘Epidemics’, September 2007

Interview with the education officer of TB Alert [MP3 2.5MB]
TB Alert is the UK's national tuberculosis charity. We spoke to its education officer.
From ‘Epidemics’, September 2007

Interview with the international office of TB Alert [MP3 2.9MB]
TB Alert is the UK's national tuberculosis charity. We spoke to its international office.
From ‘Epidemics’, September 2007

Interview with Paul Thorn about his personal experience of TB [MP3 2.5MB]
We spoke to someone about their own experience of tuberculosis.
From ‘Epidemics’, September 2007

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