Using real-world stories to drive scientific enquiry

At Developing Experts, we understand the intrinsic worth of relating learning to real applications. A key component of our science curriculum is the inclusion of videos and career content showing how learning is used by people in different industries. We do this for an important reason; when students see the world around them through the lens of current research and discovery, they start to ask questions and pursue their own investigations, just like real scientists. The following sections look at some recent scientific news stories, analysing their curriculum links and example questions that can be used to connect to enquiry. We’ve also included some questions that you can ask your class to consider after reading a scientific article, meaning you can do this activity whenever you like!

Aurora borealis 

Rare aurora - more commonly known as the Northern Lights -  lit up skies across Europe this month. This amazing phenomenon, caused by charged particles from the Sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field, isn’t just mesmerising and dramatic. It opens many enquiry opportunities around space weather, magnetism, energy transfer and the nature of Earth’s atmosphere. There’s lots of curriculum links here, particularly for topics such as Forces and Magnets, Earth and Atmosphere and Energy. To extend learning in these topics, pupils could explore questions such as the following: 

• What causes auroras? 
• Why don’t we see them every day? 
• How does solar activity affect technology on Earth?

Space science 

Another compelling story comes from space science: researchers have developed methods to track space debris using seismic data from sonic booms. This unusual intersection of Earth science and space exploration gives pupils a chance to investigate waves, energy transfer, observational techniques and the increasing challenges of a crowded orbit. There are several curriculum links to explore here, such as KS3 and KS4 waves, and they are all rooted in current scientific work.

Environmental science 

Current news stories often involve concepts relating to the environment or our interaction with it. For instance, recent studies show that Earth’s oceans absorbed record amounts of heat in 2025, contributing to stronger storms and altered weather patterns. This real data can be used as the basis for enquiries into heat capacity, climate systems and the impact of human change on natural cycles. Similarly, discoveries about how microplastics are now found in urban air, not just the oceans, can prompt students to ask: 

• Where do pollutants go? 
• How do we measure them? 
• What are the implications for health and ecosystems?

Using real, current science news in teaching helps students see science as a living process of exploration and revision, not just a set of fixed facts. Any news article can be used as the basis for creating enquiry questions relating to your current topic in science. After reading through a chosen article, ask your pupils to consider the following:

• What issues or concerns are mentioned in the article?
• Do scientists know why and how the phenomenon in the article is occurring? 
• What are some possible consequences or benefits? 
• What scientific terms and concepts are mentioned in the article that relate to the current topic of learning? 

This helps students to form critical patterns of thinking. By bringing stories like auroras, space debris tracking and climate science into your lessons, you firmly place scientific enquiry in what’s happening now. So, keep an eye out for news articles and stories relating to science — you may be rewarded with your next set of enquiry-led questions!