South Florida Virtual Tour [.ipex]
http://sofia.usgs.gov/virtual_tour/index.html
Southern Florida contains some of the most unique landscape and biology in the US. The US Geological Society and Southern Florida Information Access (SOFIA) maintains the South Florida Virtual Tour in hopes of sharing the beauty of the area and promoting its protection. Visitors can tour sixteen areas (e.g., the Everglades and the Florida Keys); view images (still and 360 degree), illustrations, and maps; and read simple but informative descriptions about the landscape and biota. The site is easy to navigate and enjoyable to explore. [JAB]
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The Brain Connection [Flash, Shockwave]
http://www.brainconnection.com/
The Scientific Learning Corporation maintains the Brain Connection, a Web site "dedicated to providing accessible, high-quality information about how the brain works and how people learn." This extensive site has descriptions, pictures, animations, puzzles, quizzes and much more on nearly every aspect of the human brain. Everyone from kids to adults will find hours of interesting and fun exploration at this well-constructed Web site. [JAB]
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NOVA Online: Life's Greatest Miracle
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/miracle/
The companion Web site to the NOVA program Life's Greatest Miracle, which PBS will re-broadcast on February 26th, is a great site for anyone interested in human pregnancy and fetal development. With wide-ranging information, this Web site is likely to appeal to many different audiences; users can even choose to view the entire program online. Those users interested mainly in the science of human development will enjoy How Cells Divide and How Sex is Determined. Those more interested in learning about pregnancy can read journal entries from an expectant mother or learn about various screening techniques used to assess the health of an unborn baby. An essay on the stem cell debate gives insight to the controversial topic. A teacher's guide is also provided, offering suggestions for discussion and activities associated with the television program. [AL]
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The Horseshoe Crab
http://www.horseshoecrab.org/
An entire site devoted to the Horseshoe Crab? The Ecological Research and Development Group (ERDG) has a "commitment to protect this remarkable mariner who plays a vital role in nature's delicately balanced food web and whose life-sustaining contributions to humanity have yet to be fully realized." This well-designed site gives descriptions of the Horseshoe Crab's natural history, evolution, anatomy, medical uses, conservation, research, and even a section devoted to poems, tales, and images. [JAB]
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Carl Hayden Bee Research Center
http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov
The Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, part of the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service, conducts ecological studies of honey bees to improve honey production and pollination of agricultural crops. This award-winning Web site has recently added an Expert Forum on Honey Bees where users are able submit their questions to USDA experts and receive a response via email. A database of previously submitted questions and answers is maintained for viewers to browse or search. Additionally, researchers, beekeepers, students, and homeowners will find many other features of interest, including a fact sheet on Africanized honeybees, a handbook on plants that require pollination, and a natural history of honey bees. Although I was unable to download some of the models or view some of the photos, this site has plenty of valuable information. [AL]
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Epidemiological Information on Bioterrorism
http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/bioter/bioterrorism.html
"...bioterrorism thrives on public fear." Dr. Ralph R. Frerichs of the UCLA School of Public Health maintains this Web site to educate students, the public, and health professionals about the public health impact of bioterrorism. The site offers links to recent articles about the public health threat of biological weapons and information about various diseases associated with possible biological weapons, including anthrax, smallpox, botulism and others. Unless you are a UCLA student, most viewers will choose to skip the Courses section, but users should check out the interactive Anthrax and Bioterrorism tutorial. Also, a feature that could easily be missed but is surprisingly thorough, Disease Detectives provides a substantial amount of data and analysis of the 2001 anthrax outbreak. [AL]
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WWF International: Canon Photogallery
http://wwfcanon.panda.org/index.html
Did you know that no two tigers have the same stripes? Or that the smallest bird in the world weighs only 2 grams? Learn this and much more on the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) International's Canon Photogallery. Canon and the WWF have partnered to "raise awareness for the environment." See stunning photos from exotic places, organized into categories of People and Nature, Birds, Pandas, Endangered Seas, Tigers, and Gorillas. All of the amazing thumbnail images can be enlarged and are accompanied by a caption containing interesting tidbits about the animals or one of WWF's programs. [AL]
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Two on the First Human Cloned Embryo
"The First Human Cloned Embryo"
http://www.sciam.com/explorations/2001/112401ezzell/
"What Clones? Were Claims of the First Human Embryo Premature?"
http://www.sciam.com/explorations/2001/122401clone/index.html
The first is an article appearing in the January 2002 issue of Scientific American detailing what Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) claims is the first human cloned embryo. This online version describes the research that ACT calls the "dawn of a new age in medicine" and includes links to further information, covering ethical and legal considerations surrounding cloning and the difference between reproductive and therapeutic cloning. The second is a related Scientific American article that argues that the results are misleading. [AL]
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