Two about Research on Genetic Response to Global Warming
Researchers Find Genetic Response to Global Warming: Changing Climate Prompts Genetic Change in Squirrels
http://www.ualberta.ca/~publicas/folio/40/12/front.html
Genetic and Plastic Responses of a Northern Mammal to Climate Change
http://www.pubs.royalsoc.ac.uk/proc_bio/abstracts/reale.html
University of Alberta biologist Stan Boutin and his research team have recently published findings that North American red squirrels exhibit genetic changes in response to a warming climate. The first Web site listed above contains a University of Alberta press release detailing this first-ever demonstration of genetic adaptation to global warming. The second Web site, from the Proceedings of the Royal Society, provides the abstract for this recently published research (full-text available only with paid subscription). With implications that extend far beyond the immediate research concerns of geneticists and environmental scientists, Boutin's work as presented in these Web sites should be interesting to wide audience. [RS]
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Neuromuscular: Acetylcholine and Acetylcholine Receptors
http://www.neuro.wustl.edu/neuromuscular/mother/acetylcholine.htm
The Neuromuscular Disease Center at Washington University provides this comprehensive Web site for information on acetylcholine and acetylcholine receptors. Visitors will find detailed Web pages covering acetylcholine metabolism, acetylcholine receptors (including disorders, structure, venom binding, etc.), autonomic function, and myasthenic disorders. Related proteins are organized into data tables, which include links to protein-specific information from external sources such as the National Center for Biotechnology Information from the National Institutes of Health and the Expert Protein Analysis System (ExPASy) from the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics. [RS]
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Digital Morphology: A National Science Foundation Digital Library at The University of Texas at Austin
http://digimorph.org/index.phtml
The Digital Morphology library from the University of Texas-Austin is "a dynamic archive of information on digital morphology and high-resolution x-ray computed tomography of biological specimens." The library offers fascinating 2D and 3D visualizations of vertebrate internal and external structures -- as well as a growing number of invertebrates -- representing over 100 specimens from university and museum collections around the world. The library may be browsed by scientific or common name, or by cladogram. Many images in the collection include detailed annotations, some contributed by experts in the field. While the Digital Morphology library serves as important resource for education and "ongoing cutting-edge research efforts," the spectacular images definitely make this Web site worth visiting just for fun. [RS]
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Cambridge Scientific Abstracts: Ecotourism
http://www.csa.com/hottopics/ecotour1/overview.html
Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA) latest Hot Topics feature is Ecotourism: the Promise and Perils of Environmentally-Oriented Travel, prepared by Heather E. Lindsay. The detailed report explores the opportunities and pitfalls of ecotourism, for which "finding a compromise between preservation and development is often challenging, and can generate additional environmental problems for the very regions it is intended to protect." Key citations for the report link to the full-text articles from scholarly journals in the CSA database, and over two dozen related Web links are also provided. Anyone interested in reviewing the impact of ecotourism will appreciate this well-organized, thorough report. [RS]
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Society for Endocrinology: Journals: Review Articles and Commentary [.pdf]
http://journals.endocrinology.org/RevArtCom.htm
The Society for Endocrinology offers this collection of full-text reviews and commentaries from the Journal of Endocrinology and the Journal of Molecular Endocrinology. These peer-reviewed articles, available free of charge to any interested user, present "quality overviews of current topic in endocrinology." The bibliographic listing for each article link to a browseable abstract, which in turn links to the full-text document. The Web site includes an article archive dating back to 1996. [RS]
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Missouri Botanical Garden Research: Ethnobiology Discussion Forum
http://ridgwaydb.mobot.org/mobot/ethnobiology/
As part of a process funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Missouri Botanical Garden's online ethnobiology discussion forum invites ethnobiologists to "intellectually define [the] field, its intellectual content, methods, and applicable analyses and to review the present state of and need for education, funding and international collaboration in ethnobiology." This ongoing discussion will result in a white paper addressing how ethnobiologists can meet NSF's call for rigorous scientific research while preserving the multidisciplinary strengths of the field. Participants are also encouraged to register NSF proposals related to ethno- or economic biology for help in keeping track of grants. [RS]
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State of the World's Forests 2003 [.pdf]
http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/005/Y7581E/Y7581E00.HTM
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations presents this biannual report on the status of the world's forests. Available as a series of downloadable documents, this comprehensive report addresses recent developments in the forest sector such as agricultural expansion and mangrove conversion, conservation and sustainable development, forestry education and other institutional concerns, international policy, and other issues. [RS]
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Genome@home
http://genomeathome.stanford.edu/
With Genome@home, a project at Stanford University, computer owners can become de facto researchers in virtual genome protein design. By downloading and running the Genome@home protein sequence design client, users lend their idle computer time to run calculations for use with such projects as designing new medical drugs, understanding protein evolution, and determining the function of newly sequenced genes. The program can run during other applications without affecting computer performance. The Genome@home Web site also provides a mountain of scientific background information and other resources for understanding the overall project and learning what's been accomplished so far. [RS]
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