Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month for October 2002 [Windows Media]
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/oct2002.html
Biologist Tom Volk of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse offers his ghostly fungus of the month in this Web site, just in time for Halloween. Dr. Volk covers just about everything there is to know about Monotropa uniflora (not actually a fungus but a fungus-like member of the blueberry family) and closely related plants. The site includes photos and an audio pronunciation guide. Visitors may also follow links to Dr. Volk's main Web site for a comprehensive guide to fungi in general. [RS]
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Red Gold: The Epic Story of Blood [.pdf, RealPlayer]
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/redgold/
This Web site is the online companion to the PBS television series "Red Gold: The Epic Story of Blood," which aired June 2002. This extensive Web site offers a detailed look into the biology of blood and the "scientific developments that contributed to society's understanding and use of blood." Engaging feature articles make up the bulk of this site, with the addition of video clips from the television series, an education section with lesson plans and a discussion guide, a glossary, relevant links, and more. Visually appealing and highly informative, this Web site provides a comprehensive resource for understanding blood and related concepts. No tips on fake Halloween blood, though. [RS]
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Conservation International: Biodiversity Hotspots [.pdf, Flash]
http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/Hotspots
The nonprofit organization Conservation International (CI) aims to "conserve Earth's living natural heritage, our global diversity, and to demonstrate that human societies are able to live harmoniously with nature." This Web site from CI's Center for Applied Biodiversity Science explains how biodiversity hotspots are designated and offers visitors a look at efforts to protect "these biologically rich areas around the world under significant threat of destruction." The highlight of this site is the interactive map; clicking on a red dot will bring up a detailed description of that particular hotspot, along with downloadable area maps, a glossary, and other resources. Visitors may also use a pull-down menu to quickly jump to one of the site's 25 hotspots. [RS]
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The Algodones Dunes, California
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/Programs/deserts/algodones/slide1.html
The Center for Biological Diversity blends "conservation biology with litigation, policy advocacy, and an innovative strategic vision" in efforts to protect endangered species and wild places, focusing on the western US. This Web site contains a slide show of images from the Algodones Dunes, California's largest dune system. The fourteen slides show images of the area's natural history and environmental threats, such as effects from off-road vehicles. Each slide is accompanied by a brief description. While not overly informative, this Web site offers visitors a quick overview look at this unique natural area. [RS]
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The Antlion Pit: A Doodlebug Anthology [QuickTime]
http://www.antlionpit.com/
This Web site, edited by Mark Swanson, is "a collection of resources related to the fascinating antlion, or doodlebug." In addition to providing general information about antlions, this site contains "videos of antlion feeding behavior and metamorphosis, as well as information on how and where to find antlions." Frequently updated, the site recently added the Doodlebug Oracle, which answers randomly generated questions about antlions. All together, this Web site provides a fun and informative look at an interesting creature that's not very well known to most. [RS]
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Thailand's Amazing Insects [QuickTime]
http://www.thaibugs.com/
John Moore, who lives in Chiang Mai, has created this Web site about the insects of Thailand. The bulk of the site contains an extensive photo collection of "butterflies, moths, dragonflies and damselflies, flies, wasps, ants, caterpillars, cicadas, grasshoppers, mantids, bug and beetles plus spiders and some others." Moore also provides a number of related articles, ranging from conservation issues to edible insects in the Thai diet. Some very cool video clips and audio files are also available, as is a long list of external links. Moore hopes that this site "will be of interest to amateur entomologists, perhaps the odd professional, people with an interest in wildlife in Southeast Asia and Thailand," as well as just those "who enjoy looking at photographs of insects in the wild." [RS]
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The Thylacine Museum: A Natural History of the Thylacinidae
http://www.naturalworlds.org/thylacine/index.htm
This Web site is offered through C. Campbell's Natural Worlds, a "completely nonprofit, education online series which exists as a means of providing detailed information on a variety of topics within the natural history field." The Thylacine Museum, not surprisingly, is devoted to the now extinct thylacine (also known as the Tasmanian tiger). The site includes "information covering virtually all aspects of this very unique Australian marsupial." Users can browse dozens of pages of detailed articles about these animals. Topics covered include thylacine behavior, fossil record, skull data, and much more. The site also offers photos and movie clips of captive thylacines from the first part of the 20th century. Owing to this Web site's high level of detail and extensive text, the casual visitor may not find this site readily appealing. However, anyone with even a remote interest in thylacines or Australian mammals in general should appreciate this extremely comprehensive resource. [RS]
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The NFL Today: Anatomical Travelogue Video [RealPlayer, Windows Media]
http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/football/nfl/nfltoday/video/animations.html
CBS Sportsline's The NFL Today Web site may seem an unlikely source for life science material, but this particular site contains animated movie clips of see-through football players. More specifically, the animations show how the musculoskeletal systems of football players move while running, tackling, breathing, etc. Created by the biology-themed computer animation company Anatomical Travelogue, these short movies can be views with RealPlayer or Windows Media, although RealPlayer seemed to work more consistently. Visitors won't learn much about anatomy by watching these movie clips, but they're fun all the same. [RS]
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