Nature: The Y Chromosome
http://www.nature.com/nature/focus/ychromosome/
The journal Nature presents this online special feature on the recently sequenced Y chromosome. The Web site offers a number of free informative resources, including an account of the sequencing project as well as related scientific papers and letters published in the journal. An archive of Y chromosome-related articles are also available for registered users (no cost for registration). In all, this Web special offers an excellent resource for exploring the Y chromosome, formerly regarded as a "genetic wasteland" before sequencing research revealed that "we may have underestimated its powers." [RS]
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West Nile Virus Map -- 2003
http://westnilemaps.usgs.gov/
The maps available in this U.S. Geological Survey Web site reflect the most recent West Nile Virus (WNV) data reported to the Centers for Disease Control. Users will find national- and state-scale maps, although not all states are represented. Data covers human, bird, mosquito, sentinel chicken, and veterinary occurrences of WNV. The site also includes background information and tips on how to minimize exposure to WNV. Users may follow links to maps and data from previous years, as well as to a number of WNV-related sites from the USGS and CDC. [RS]
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BioMedNet: The Endocrine Society 2003 Meeting
http://news.bmn.com/conferences/list/view?fileyear=2003&fileacronyn=ENDO&pagefile=content.html
BioMedNet presents this detailed report on the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, held recently in Philadelphia. Journalistic coverage of the event offers an engaging account of the "startling variety of research taking place under the endocrinology banner." Readers will find presentation summaries for each day of the 4-day event, as well as profiles of a few participating researchers. As the Web site describes: "From sex reversal in alligators to ongoing controversies on the subject of hormone replacement therapy, there really was something for everyone." Users must first complete a free registration with BioMedNet to view this site, which also includes links to related full-text articles published in various scientific journals (abstracts available for free). [RS]
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The National Academies Press: Review of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Smallpox Vaccination Program
http://www.nap.edu/books/NI000508/html/index.html
This electronic book from the National Academies Press (NAP) presents recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) from the Committee on Smallpox Vaccination Program Implementation. The committee -- members of the Board on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Institute of Medicine -- focuses on two main issues: Considerations for next steps in the pre-event vaccination program, and the smallpox components of the Continuation Guidance for the Cooperative Agreement on Public Health Preparedness and Response for Bioterrorism. The Web site includes an excellent search feature, which allows users to search for terms in each chapter, the entire book, or even the entire collection of online NAP publications. [RS]
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Economic Research Service Report: Manure Management for Water Quality [pdf]
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/AER824/
This Web site contains a June 2003 report from the Economic Research Service of U.S. Department of Agriculture. The report offers a detailed analysis of livestock and poultry manure management for water quality in the U.S. The studies included in the report occur on multiple scales: 1) a farm-level analysis of "on-farm technical choice and producer costs" across the U.S., 2) a regional analysis of off-farm competition for land for the purposes of spreading surplus manure, and 3) a look at "potential long-term structural adjustments at the national level," including costs to consumers and producers. Users may download the entire report (about 1.6 MB) or selected chapters. The report also includes a nicely-presented 2-page research brief. [RS]
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BEAST: Bayesian Evolutionary Analysis Sampling Trees [Java]
http://evolve.zoo.ox.ac.uk/beast/
This Web site presents a free downloadable program for "testing evolutionary hypotheses without conditioning on a single tree topology." Bayesian Evolutionary Analysis Sampling Trees, or BEAST, was created by Alexei Drummond and Andrew Rambaut of the Evolutionary Biology Group at the University of Oxford. The latest version (v1.0.2) is bug-free and ready for download. The Web site includes detailed information on what BEAST can do, and what researchers can expect to find in future versions of the program. [RS]
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Garden Butterflies Count
http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/index.html?/features/gbc/index.html
UK-based Butterfly Conservation presents the preliminary results of the Garden Butterfly Count (GBC), which enlisted the help of private residents to survey backyard butterflies and moths. Over 11,000 completed survey forms were returned to Butterfly Conservation at the end of the 2002 season, and the Web site provides a brief look at early results and analysis. The information is presented for a general audience, making this Web site an interesting stop for any reader. [RS]
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Ichthyology
http://www.peabody.yale.edu/collections/ich/
This Web site contains a searchable database of the fish collection at Yale's Peabody Museum. The collection includes over 100,000 primarily marine specimens representing species from around the world. Researchers may easily locate specimens of interest using the online catalog, searching by name, locality, or catalog number. In addition to the database, the Web site provides a detailed history of the museum's collection, which began in the 1860s. [RS]
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