·http://www.slate.com/articles/life/do_the_math.html

Jordan Ellenberg - child prodigy, young adult novelist, theoretical mathematician, and author of the hugely entertaining book, How Not to Be Wrong - pens a semi-frequent, always engaging column for Slate called Do the Math. Here readers will find articles on Nate Silver's applied probability, Stephen Colbert's mathematical limitations, and many other number-related topics. Ellenberg is a sharp writer and a brilliant thinker who writes about numerical obscurities in a way that brings them to life. He also brings his intellect to bear on media questions like just how seriously we should take this summer's enormous Facebook study, in which the social media giant attempted to manipulate users' moods. [CNH]

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·http://www.passengerpigeon.org

With a population over 3 billion in the mid-1800s, the passenger pigeon was once the most abundant land bird in North America. Yet by the end of the nineteenth century it was extremely endangered, becoming extinct by 1914. Such a rapid decline has led many to ask what happened and what can we learn from this tragedy? The Project Passenger Pigeon site asks such compelling questions and offers some edifying answers. Readers should start with the About These Pigeons section to learn about how these fascinating birds flocked in epic numbers across North America, tracking unpredictable boons of acorn and other crops. The map feature, accessible from the homepage, highlights location-specific information about the pigeon, its habits, and its history. For example, selecting Wisconsin reveals historical accounts of the passenger pigeon in Wisconsin as well as a list of 17 places that were likely named after the bird. Readers have the opportunity to join the project, or simply peruse the website for its excellent educational content. [CNH]

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·http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/SHPO/pages/mainstreet.aspx

Oregon Main Street is a project nested in the State Historic Preservation Office, which is nested in the Oregon Parks & Recreation Department, and it's transforming the landscape of Oregon's towns and small cities. As you can read on the site, the Main Street Approach is a proven comprehensive program that has been implemented in over 2,200 cities and towns in more than 40 states. Developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, "the goal is to build high quality, livable, and sustainable communities" that will grow state economies while maintaining a sense of place. The Program Overview and the Program Handbook links provide details on various historic preservation efforts. Readers should also make sure to Scout the Annual Reports, going back to 2010, or take a look at the Oregon Main Street Conferences, which feature colorful presentations on revitalization efforts. [CNH]

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·http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/

This fascinating site from the U.S. National Library of Medicine is packed with resources loosely organized around clinical effectiveness research in medicine. There are six main sections of the site: Contents, Behind Headlines, What's New, Featured Review, Understand Clinical Effectiveness, and Blog. Featured Review is a great place to start as it links to the current review as well as those previously featured. Topics range from the efficacy of powered versus manual toothbrushes to exercising with asthma. The Understand Clinical Effectiveness section offers some very educational links that describe not only what research is out there, but how to become a critical consumer of that research. [CNH]

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·http://www.learner.org/courses/chemistry/index.html

The Annenberg Learner draws 10 million visits a month from teachers and learners around the world. There's a reason: the site is intuitive, profoundly edifying, and free to anyone. This 13-unit course, replete with videos, visuals, interactive features, and other resources, represents the cutting edge in online STEM education. Though it is designed primarily for high school teachers, anyone with a hankering for chemical knowledge can teach themselves the basics in this captivating field. On the site, readers may want to start with the Course Guide, which is viewable online or downloadable as a PDF. Then dive into the units themselves, such as Atoms and Light or Acids and Bases, accessing the diverse set of learning tools that are all laid out along the way. [CNH]

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·http://archive.org/details/generaleducation032440mbp

One of the wonderful advantages of an online world is that works previously held only in obscure university libraries can be accessed right on your laptop. Made available by the Universal Library Project, this engrossing tract was written by a dozen Harvard professors and published in 1945. The content still resonates with contemporary debates about who should have access to college education, what that education should consist of, and what education means for a democracy. As James Bryant Conant notes in the introduction to the book, "There is hardly a university or college in the country which has not had a committee at work… considering basic educational questions and making plans for drastic revamping of one or more curricula." The 298-page report can be read online, or downloaded in various forms. General Education in a Free Society is a captivating read for anyone engaged in discussions of educational policy, past, present, or future. [CNH]

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·http://chineseamerican.nyhistory.org/explore/

The exhibit Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion is on display at the New-York Historical Society Museum & Library from September 26, 2014 to April 19, 2015. Luckily, for those of us who don't live near the Big Apple, there is plenty to see online. Start with the Explore page, where you can read about the exhibit and glean a quick overview of the history of Chinese Americans in the United States. Then make your way through the exhibit, which is organized chronologically, and by theme, presenting a narrative of the Chinese American struggles for parity and respect from 1783 to the present in the form of photographs, works of art, and first hand stories. A list of related Resources, including Archives, Digital Resources, and Museums, Parks, and Historic Sites are also available. [CNH]

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·http://arts.gov/art-works

The Art Works Blog is what you might expect from the National Endowment for the Arts – it's literate, informed, and jam packed with leading artists, writers, thinkers, and creative innovators. Updated Monday through Friday, the blog supports the NEA's efforts to celebrate "the diverse and dynamic landscape of the arts across America." Recent entries include quotes from Edwidge Danticat and Ursula K. Le Guin, a fabulous essay by translator Johanna Warren, and an article about Jetsonorama, an African American mural installation artist who works primarily on Navajo reservations. The blog is easily searchable and can be sorted by category (Art Talk, Arts and Military, Creative Placemaking, and many others) or explored by monthly Archive. [CNH]

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·https://www.nationalserviceresources.gov

The National Service Knowledge Network is designed to link together people working in different areas of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which includes programs like AmeriCorps and Senior Corps. The network is organized into six browsable Knowledge Networks: Veterans and Military Families, Education, Disaster Services, Healthy Futures, Environmental Stewardship, and Economic Opportunity. Practices and Program Examples and Shared Documents are readily available for each network and showcase fascinating projects, such as the Homeless Garden Project in Santa Cruz, California. Some networks, such as Education, also offer discussion boards where anyone can read what's going on in the network (though you have to be a member to post). Links to other fascinating resources around the web can also be found here, such as papers on youth volunteering habits and the effects of mentorship programs. [CNH]

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·http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Kids/default.asp

If you are looking for ways to teach kids about health, this site from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) could come in very handy. The information provided here is drawn from the vast stores of constantly updated research programs from around the world. Thankfully, the site does a good job of making all that information accessible, applicable, and even fun. Four categories - Healthy Muscles Matter, Healthy Skin Matters, Healthy Joints Matter, and Healthy Bones Matter - appear on the homepage. These sections then open to articles with excellent visuals, approachable content, and short quizzes. For instance, the section on muscles outlines the basic facts and then makes clear suggestions, such as the importance of getting at least 60 minutes of exercise per day. The information for each category is available in PDF format, which makes for handy teaching aids. [CNH]

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·http://sei-international.org

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) is an independent international research institute. For over 25 years SEI has been gathering data on the interrelated systems of development and ecology, bringing together diverse stakeholders for dialogues and partnerships. For the past several years, the organization has focused its efforts on four targeted activities: Managing environmental systems, Reducing climate risk, Transforming governance, and Rethinking development. Scout the site first by clicking on each of these categories to reveal theme summaries, sub-themes, and theme fact sheets. From there, have a look at the News & Media, Projects, Tools, and People tabs. One of the most exciting aspects of this site is the Recent Publications column, where you can read free empirical articles on such topics as "The economic case for low carb" and "A new era in the fight against deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon." [CNH]

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·http://www.city.nagasaki.lg.jp/peace/english/survivors/index.html

The Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of Peace has come together with the city of Nagasaki to present this collection of powerful and chilling Narratives of the A-bomb Experience. While informative, the stories recounted here are quite vivid and graphic and readers may want to proceed with caution. Ms. Sakue Shimohira, who was ten years old when the bomb was detonated less than a kilometer from where she was hiding, tells of the inexplicable horrors and suffering, both just after the blast and for months after as people tried, and sometimes failed, to come to terms with the effects of war. Mr. Kiochi Wada, eleven at the time, tells the story of what it was like over two kilometers from the blast. A link to the Survivor's Voice Global Network is also provided on the site. Here visitors can read, view, and listen to many more stories from survivors of various ages and circumstances. [CNH]

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·http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/index.aspx

The American Psychological Association (APA) is the world's largest scientific and professional psychological organization, with a membership of well over 100,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. Now the research and advocacy of this venerable institution is available in easily digestible nuggets via the APA Help Center. The Help Center Interest Areas (Work & School, Family & Relationships, Health & Emotional Wellness, Disasters & Terrorism, and Managed Care & Health Insurance) provide up to date evidence based suggestions on how to handle everything from everyday stress to real emotional crisis. If the information provided here is not exactly what you are looking for, Related APA Resources are available within each Interest Area and link to supplemental articles, newsletters, and web pages. Other Help Center Resources include Find a Psychologist, Order Free Brochures, and Request a Speaker, as well as a host of freely available Articles and Videos on psychology and psychotherapy related topics. [CNH]

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·http://ethnobiology.org/conference/2014/podcasts

Ethnobiology is a field dedicated to the scientific study of how humans dynamically interact with their environments. Drawing from archaeology, geography, population biology, cultural anthropology, and half a dozen other disciplines, the field of ethnobiology is a poster child for multidisciplinary thinking. Lucky for us, the Society of Ethnobiology has just published the talks from its most recent conference online. Here, through abstracts and podcasts, Scout readers can learn about the early domestication of squash in the Americas, mother's knowledge of traditional home remedies in Ecuador, and many other topics. The 2013 conference highlights are also available on the page, along with Photo and Video Galleries, and information about the Society. [CNH]

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·http://animaldiversity.org/

Created at the University of Michigan, the Animal Diversity Web (ADW) is a comprehensive database of animal natural history, distribution, and classification. ADW functions as an encyclopedia as well as an educational resource to support inquiry-based education for thousands of teachers and students. A typical entry, such as the downy woodpecker, includes the latin name (Picoides pubescens), photographs, information about where the bird lives, what it eats (insects), what eats it (other predatory birds), and the importance and effects of the animal on humans. In the woodpecker's case, there is a positive effect on humans as the bird eats pesky insects. In 2014, ADW became an app developer with ADW Pocket Guides. These mobile applications use the database to generate customized guides to wildlife at parks, museums, zoos, or other natural areas. [DS]

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·http://www.stardock.com/products/fences/

Having trouble keeping your desktop clean? Try Fences. CBS Money Watch called the desktop organization software "utterly transformational," and it's been featured everywhere from Oprah Magazine to lifehacker. The tool allows users to organize clutter by creating shaded areas, showing and hiding icons, and moving between pages. This software is available for Windows 7 or newer. [CNH]

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·https://workflowy.com

Put simply, WorkFlowy is a zoomable document; but it's a lot more than that. In fact, it's a simple and adaptable way to take notes and keep track of just about everything, from grocery lists to big projects. With this organizational tool, users can work with infinitely nested lists, zoom, tag, filter, and work offline. After creating an account, the fun can begin and helpful instructional Videos are available to walk you through any stumbling blocks. Workflowy is available for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Mac OSX 10.6+, Microsoft Windows 7+, iOS 6.0+ and Android 4.4+. [CNH]

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DNA Evidence proves that King Richard III’s remains really did end up in a parking lot
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2014/12/02/dna-evidence-proves-that-king-richard-iiis-remains-really-did-end-up-in-a-parking-lot/

DNA Confirms: Here Lieth Richard III, Under Yon Parking Lot
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/12/141202-richard-iii-genes-shakespeare-science/

Yes, the Skeleton Beneath a Leicester Parking Lot Was King Richard III
http://www.newsweek.com/king-richard-iiis-skeleton-was-indeed-found-beneath-leicester-parking-lot-288662

It’s Official: Skeleton Found Under Parking Lot is Richard III
http://www.popsci.com/its-official-skeleton-parking-lot-was-richard-iii

Identification of the remains of King Richard III
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/141202/ncomms6631/full/ncomms6631.html

BBC - History - King Richard III
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/king_richard_iii

King Richard III died at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. But it wasn’t until 2012 that his remains were finally discovered under a parking lot in Leicester. Since then, scientists have been examining the remains for cause of death (nine traumatic head wounds), diet (meat and wine), and health (a bad case of worms). This week the genetic testing that researchers have been conducting for almost two years was finally published, and we can be 99.999 percent sure that this skeleton is, indeed, the remains of the old English king whom Shakespeare so memorably dramatized. How do we know? By tracking the mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down through female descendants, of the ancient corpse and two living Brits, each known to be members of the king’s blood line. [CNH]

The first link connects to coverage from the Washington Post, which includes a three-minute video and an excellent article on the new DNA evidence. Links two and three, from National Geographic and Newsweek, respectively, expand on the story, with excellent reportage and links to previous revelations, including the king’s cause of death and diet. The fourth link features an excellent 12-minute film detailing the mitochondrial DNA process, while the fifth navigates to the study at hand, available in full on the Nature Communications website. Last, the BBC’s history of Richard III provides an excellent overview and historical background of this important historical figure.