Bugs! [jpeg, pdf, Macromedia Flash Player, QuickTime]
http://www.giantscreenbugs.com/
Lovers of nature documentaries have reason to celebrate with Bugs!, a new "live-action nature drama filmed in awe inspiring, totally immersive 3D," now showing at IMAX theaters all over. The Web site offers loads of cool features, including a fun trailer for the movie, and extensive image gallery, and a detailed look at the making of the movie. The Web site and the movie trailer are available in different versions to accommodate visitors with slower connections. The site also includes a downloadable Teacher's Guide. [RS]
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Household Products Database
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/
Users will find important and possibly life-saving information on over 4,000 household products in this online database from the National Library of Medicine's Specialized Information Services. The database allows users to find out what a product contains, potential health effects, and safety and handling information. Users can quickly and easily search the database by product name, ingredients, or symptom. The products search seems to be the most user-friendly, as it is organized alphabetically and by general category, e.g. home maintenance, personal care/use, auto products, and so on. [RS]
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T. Rex: The Killer Question [Macromedia Flash Player]
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/museum/tempexhib/trex/
This is the companion Web site to a new Tyrannosaurus rex exhibit at the Natural History Museum in London. The exhibit explores evidence that this famous dinosaur may have actually been a scavenger, not the ferocious predator we all know and love. Virtual visitors can weigh some of the evidence for themselves with Predator or Scavenger? -- a multimedia feature located in the Activities section. Likewise, T. rex Trumps lets players have a "battle of the facts" with an online card game. The cards may also be printed out, and new cards will be made available over the coming weeks. The Web site also provides an interesting image gallery that lets visitors also explore how our ideas about T. rex have changed over the past century. [RS]
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Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust: The Wollemi Pine
http://www.rbgsyd.gov.au/information_about_plants/wollemi_pine
The Web site of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Australia offers a detailed overview of the highly endangered Wollemi Pine, a "living fossil" that's been called "one of the greatest botanical discoveries of our time." The Web site offers detailed information about this unusual plant, including evolutionary history, horticultural propagation, conservation efforts, and more. The site also has a section that describes the many research projects in progress on the Wollemi Pine to better ensure its survival. Loads of photographs and an extensive set of related links and other references are also provided. [RS]
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Wakuzulu: Friends of the Colobus Trust
http://www.colobustrust.org/
Wakuzulu: Friends of the Colobus Trust is a not-for-profit organization based in Kenya dedicated to the "conservation, preservation, and protection of primates, in particular the Angolan Black and White Colobus monkey." Wakuzulu's extensive homepage features the latest updates on the Colobus population in the Diani area, as well as detailed information about the organization's projects and initiatives. First time visitors may wish to check out the section titled Diani's Primates, which offers an excellent introduction to Colobus monkeys and other species in the area. [RS]
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Darwin Centre: Specimen of the Month
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/darwincentre/phase2/highlights.html
When Phase Two of the Darwin Centre at London's Natural History Museum is complete in 2007, visitors will have access to nearly 80% of the Museum's collections (as opposed to the 1% currently on display). Until then, virtual visitors can get a sneak peek at these hidden treasures here in this Web site. Every month, the Darwin Centre features a different specimen destined for Phase Two. The site includes a photo and a brief note, as well as an archive for past specimens. The site currently features the Vegetable Substances collection assembled by Sir Hans Sloane, which contains a rather odd assortment of pharmaceutical materials "including various bark samples, Spanish fly, and a mummified finger." [RS]
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Martin Rodbell: Discovering How Cells Respond to Signals
http://history.nih.gov/exhibits/rodbell/index.htm
This Web site contains an online exhibit from the DeWitt Stetten, Jr., Museum of Medical Research at the National Institutes of Health. The virtual exhibit features Martin Rodbell, who received the Nobel Prize for his pioneering work on hormones. The exhibit traces the history of work in this field, emphasizing not just the discoveries but the people behind the discoveries as well. Rodbell's seminal work is presented in detail from inspiration to the awarding of the 1994 Nobel Prize, complete with useful diagrams and explanations written in a straightforward and engaging manner. While the exhibit may be a bit too much for the casual browser, it is well worth a visit for anyone interested in the topic. [RS]
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Botanical Society of America: 2003 Cover Stories
http://www.botany.org/newsite/publications/ajb/2003coverStories.php
This Web site from the Botanical Society of America contains a collection of photographs that appeared on the cover of the American Journal of Botany in 2003. Each image comes with a detailed description, including natural history information. Viewers will find fantastic photos of the snap trap of a Venus flytrap, pollen germination and tube growth in the snow buttercup, a silversword in Haleakala National Park, and more. The site also provides an Images & Cover Stories archive dating back to 1998. [RS]
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