http://wwf.ca/AboutWWF/WhatWeDo/TheNatureAudit/InteractiveMap/needFlash6.html

This Web site from the World Wildlife Fund - Canada contains "a groundbreaking report that audits the state of Canada's efforts to conserve biodiversity." The Nature Audit presents a series of well-designed interactive maps that represent conservation planning regions (CPRs)-- areas demarcated by WWF Canada to reflect both ecological and land use factors. The maps break down by habitat type, species, or conservation threat. Each map includes a written summary plus a case study, general trends in the data, projections for the future, and / or other information. [RS]

http://www.nature.com/nature/focus/oceangenomics/

The August 28, 2003 issue of the journal Nature presented a collection of reports that, "along with other analysis of key components of the ocean's food web, highlights the significance of genome sequences from the sea." This Web Focus provides access to these reports free of charge to any reader. The reports focus particularly on marine phytoplankton. The site also includes links to related articles from the Nature archives, but viewing these reports requires a paid subscription. [RS]

http://www.biflora.org/

Bioflora is a work-in-progress botanical database documenting the unique and endangered flora of the island of Hainan, China -- a biodiversity "hotspot." Recently launched by the Bicoll Group of Shanghai and Munich, Biflora aims to 1) make as much scientific information about Hainan's plant species available online, 2) help decision-makers develop conservation strategies for the island, and 3) support basic academic research. The Web site itself is easy to navigate and quite attractive. And, while only a few species records are currently available, more entries are soon to come. [RS]

http://biogeo.nos.noaa.gov/products/hawaii_cd/startup.htm

This Web site from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Ocean Service offers a "benthic habitat classification manual, a benthic habitat map for the nearshore waters of the main Hawaiian Islands, and supplemental geospatial data." This information forms part of a federal project to digitally "map, research, monitor, manage, and restore coral reef ecosystems." Users may download data and maps for the main Hawaiian Islands from this Web site for free, or order a free CD-ROM. [RS]

http://www.epodiatry.com/

ePodiatry.com offers a convenient way for podiatrists and students of podiatry to keep up with developments in their field. Based in Sydney, Australia, ePodiatry.come contains "all the latest podiatry, foot health, medical and health care news," as well as an extensive set of links and a free weekly newsletter covering all aspects of podiatry (also available via email). The site also offers a frequently updated database of educational resources --including book titles, journal articles, and Web links -- intended for podiatry students, clinicians, researchers, and educators. [RS]

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/zoology/external/p4.htm

Anyone looking to run Bayesian and maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses on molecular sequences can thank Dr. Peter Foster of the Natural History Museum, who invites researchers to download his latest version of p4 free of charge. The program is written in Python and has been tested on Linux and Mac OS X. Foster also offers a comprehensive user's manual for p4, and will continue to make new versions of p4 available through this Web site. [RS]

http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/2003/bnlpr090803.htm

This Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) Web site contains a press release about the recent findings from BNL scientists that smoking reduces levels of a critical enzyme (MAO B) not only in the brain, but in the peripheral organs as well (kidneys, heart, lungs, and spleen). The press release includes images of whole body PET scans showing the distribution of the radiolabeled enzyme in the bodies of a smoker and a nonsmoker -- users can click on the image for a high-resolution version. [RS]

http://www.hcnr.med.harvard.edu/index.html

This is the homepage of the Harvard Center for Neurodegeneration and Repair (HCNR). Visitors to this extensive Web site will find loads of information and resources for each of HCNR's core areas: Center for Translational Neurology Research, Center for Brain Imaging, Center for Molecular Pathology, Laboratory for Drug Discovery in Neurodegeneration, and Center for Bioinformatics. The site is quite nicely designed, and even includes an introductory video. [RS]