Investigate Biodiversity
http://investigate.conservation.org/default.htm
A great way to learn about biodiversity is by visiting Conservation International's Investigate Biodiversity Web site. Visitors can read about biodiversity hot spots and major threats to the world's species. Of particular interest is the Expeditions Online section, detailing scientific field expeditions. Through this section, you can read daily updates and see photos of teams of scientists conducting biological surveys in remote parts of the world. After learning about Conservation International's research projects, students can follow the online guide to developing their own biodiversity field study. This well designed Web sitehas plenty to offer to anyone interested in biodiversity. [AL]
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BIODIC Image Gallery
http://www.ulb.ac.be/sciences/biodic/index.html
View this online catalog of 1127 scanning electron microscope images from the Free University of Brussels. The most recent addition to the categorized index is Cells. Images can be viewed and downloaded for private use. This site is a must for anyone who wants to see close-up images of things, like a leaf stomata, scales of a butterfly wing, or the head of a flea. Some visitors may be glad that many of the insect and arachnid specimens are too small to see with the naked eye. [AL]
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Polar Bear Central [Flash]
http://www.wwf.ca/en/PolarBearCentral/default.asp
New from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada is a Web siteall about Polar Bears. Learn about these giant arctic bears, their habitat, and behavior. Also, find out about what threatens their survival and how WWF is working to protect them. The site also has plenty of fun stuff, like videos, a quiz, and postcards to send to your friends. [AL]
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GIS Projects From the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/gis/index.html
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has added a GIS unit to their Web sitethat currently includes four projects. Take a virtual tour through the Princess of Wales Conservatory, or view satellite imagery of the deforestation of the Itgi thicket in Zambia. Data on world plant distribution, and vegetation and geology of Madagascar can be downloaded with ArcView software. The use of technology on this site makes it worth checking out, even for those not interested in botany or conservation. [AL]
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Your Genome
http://www.yourgenome.org/
This Web siteby the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute provides information about genome science for various levels of awareness. Although the advanced section is not yet complete, the beginner and intermediate touch on genes, DNA, RNA, and the Human Genome Project. If your curiosity is not satisfied by the Web site, there is a form for submitting questions directly to the Sanger Institute. Two nice features are the links (with descriptions and organized by level) and a timeline of genome science from the 1950's to the present. [AL]
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Aquatic Ecosystems and Global Climate Change: Potential Impacts on Inland Freshwater and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems in the United States [.pdf]
http://www.pewclimate.org/projects/aquatic.cfm
The latest report by the Pew Center for Global Climate Change is the seventh in a series of reports on the potential impacts of global climate change. The report predicts that projected climate change over the next 100 years will have significant impacts on valuable US freshwater ecosystems. Introductory sections are viewable online, while the entire report can be downloaded in Adobe Reader (.pdf) format. [AL]
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CSIRO Land and Water
http://www.clw.csiro.au/
CSIRO Land and Water is an Australian research organization working with government and industry to solve some of Australia's environmental challenges. The Current Issues section of this Web siteoffers some understanding of the resource management and ecosystem issues facing Australia, including agricultural and aquatic ecosystem issues. The site also offers an Image Gallery containing almost 1,200 downloadable images that visitors can browse by category or search by keyword. [AL]
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Bug Bios
http://bugbios.com/index.html
This site is designed to "help you really see insects for the miniature marvels they represent and understand how intertwined our cultures have become with these alien creatures." It includes stunning photos grouped by order, several articles dealing with insects and their role in human culture, and links to other insect related sites. Particularly interesting are the butterfly wing patterns in the section titled class:insecta. [AL]
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