Changing of the Guard
The Internet Scout Project would like to introduce Rachel Sohmer, the new NSDL Life Sciences Report Editor. Thanks to Amy Lee for all the great work that she contributed during her tenure at the project. While we will greatly miss Amy's talents, we are happy to welcome Rachel to our team. [TS]
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World Atlas of Biodiversity
http://stort.unep-wcmc.org/imaps/gb2002/book/viewer.htm
This is an outstanding new Web site from the United Nations Environment Programmes World Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP-WCMC). Like other GIS-based programs, the features of this Web site can be useful in demonstrating spatial patterns of environmental problems. Users can choose from dozens of map layers (derived from biodiversity and related data) to superimpose on geographical maps of the planet on a global, regional, or even local scale. Manipulating the maps is relatively straightforward. For example, to explore the correlation between human population density and bird extinctions in North America, drag a box around the continent, select Human Population Density and Bird Extinctions from the map layer menu, and then click Refresh Map. One does not have to be familiar with GIS programs to use this Web site, but a quick look at the Help page should clarify any confusion regarding the site's toolbar icons or other features. Users should note that the graphics can make this site very slow to load, and no maps are currently available for the categories Diversity of Organisms and Biodiversity Through Time. [RS]
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Amedeo: Medical Literature Guide
http://www.amedeo.com/
This Web site from Amedeo, a medical information service, provides convenient literature updates free of charge via email. The registration process is quick and easy: simply select a research area of interest from an extensive list of options, choose from a list of relevant pre-selected journals, and fill out the contact information form. You will then receive a weekly email newsletter that lists newly published journal articles in your area of interest, along with links to downloadable abstracts for each citation. Judging by the site's sample newsletter, expect a straightforward list of citations, free from ads or other distractions. You can unsubscribe easily at any time. While Amedeo was created to primarily serve healthcare professionals, you do not need to be affiliated with a medical organization to use this service. Anyone wishing to keep current with medical issues should find this Web site very useful. [RS]
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Natural Sciences Research at the Bishop Museum
http://www.bishopmuseum.org/research/natsci/index.html
Learn about the latest in research at the Natural Sciences Department of the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. This Web site provides a short overview of research being conducted in the fields of botany, entomology, geology, malacology, ichthyology, invertebrate zoology, and vertebrate zoology. The pages provided for each field of study offer general information about the collection, image galleries, and searchable data sets that may be useful research resources. Users should note that not all features are available for each discipline. For instance, no data is available for the invertebrate zoology collection, and its info page is currently under construction. [RS]
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Global Crop Pests Identification and Information
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/hortcrops/
This Web site from the Cornell Institute for Food, Agriculture, and Development contains a newly developed prototype of the "Global Crop Pest Identification and Information Services in Integrated Pest Management (IPM)." Available in English and Spanish, this online guide aims to "increase crop pest diagnosis and IPM information capability among extensionists and farmers of developing countries." Users can search the site by crop or pest name; for example, clicking on a particular crop name will pull up detailed information regarding that crop's diseases and pest species, which in turn links to additional pages of information and photographs. This site is easy to use, and the photos should make identification a relatively easy task as well. In addition to extension agents and farmers, this Web site would be a useful pest identification guide for gardeners, as many of the crop species listed are garden variety vegetables. Users should be aware that this project is a work in progress, and therefore not all species listed have information available online at the moment. [RS]
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Lichen Determination Keys [.pdf]
http://www.bgbm.fu-berlin.de/sipman/keys/
Published by the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum (BGBM), Berlin-Dahlem, this Web site serves as on online guide to lichen identification. Users can choose from articulated identification keys for a large number of taxa, or follow links to keys organized by geographical region. There is also an interactive lichen identification database. The Web site has been recently updated to include a key for the genus Stereocaulon in Tropical America. Users should note that the keys listed are created by a number of different organizations, and thus vary in ease of use (some may not be available in English). The keys created by BGBM itself are simply presented and easy to follow, and should prove a useful resource for those pursuing lichen systematics. [RS]
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The Natural History Museum's Fish Specimen Collection
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/zoology/fish/index.html
This Web site, from the Department of Zoology at the Natural History Museum of London, contains an online database of its fish specimen collection. Users can search the database by taxonomic or geographic criteria, or by drill-down method (navigating through a hierarchical tree structure from broad categories to increasingly specific sub-categories). Helpful search strategy tips are provided. The site is straightforward in its presentation, and the search engines are easy to use. Users should be aware that the online database is a work in progress that currently lacks some of the information available in the paper record of the collection. [RS]
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Genomes and Machines
http://www.cs.tcd.ie/Francisco.Azuaje/genomes&machines.html
The Department of Computer Science at the University of Dublin-Trinity College provides this Web site as "an overview of the rapidly evolving field of bioinformatics," or the "discipline that generates computational tools, databases and methods to support genomic, molecular and medical research." Simply presented as a list of links organized by subject, this frequently updated Web site offers users a one-stop source for locating genomic and molecular biology databases, soft/hardware and service providers, courses and tutorials, journals, and more. This site is also reviewed in the September 6, 2002 Scout Report. [RS]
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New Findings on Citrus Canker
http://www.apsnet.org/online/feature/citruscanker/
This Web site, currently featured on the home page of the American Phytopathological Society, contains a research report regarding the Asiatic citrus canker that has had devastating effects on Florida's citrus industry. The report, in a journal article format, thoroughly relates the natural history and current status of the disease, as well as detailing the methods and results of the (primarily genetic) experiments conducted in this study. One of the most appealing features of this Web site is the quality of the photos within the report. These photos can be viewed separately from the report in a slide show. While navigating this site is relatively straightforward, the lack of a table of contents can make finding your place in the body of the text somewhat confusing. [RS]
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Cell Biology and Cancer [.pdf, Flash, QuickTime]
http://science-education.nih.gov/supplements/nih1/cancer/default.htm
The National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, has recently released this curriculum supplement as part of series designed to "deepen students' awareness of the importance of basic research to advances in medicine and health," as well as foster critical thinking and an understanding of how scientific discoveries affect their own lives. The Web site offers five outstanding student activities (grades 9-12) regarding cancer and cell biology. Some of these activities have excellent multimedia features. For instance, the activity titled Cancer and the Cell Cycle presents cancer research findings as News Alert Videos from different historical eras, complete with actors in period costume. The Teacher's Guide is a wealth of cancer and cell biology information, resources, references, and more. It also includes detailed instructions on how to effectively implement the learning module. This is a great Web site even for the casual visitor not in the market for teaching material.
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Chocolate Exhibition [.pdf, Flash]
http://www.fmnh.org/Chocolate/exhibits.html
Chicago's Field Museum invites educators to "use the enticing subject of chocolate to teach your class about the intriguing relationship between nature and culture." Click on Educators' Resources to access 12 downloadable lesson plans, 6 of which focus specifically on the relationship between chocolate and the environment. Not only do these lesson plans offer students a fun way to learn about botany, ecology, and agriculture, they also demonstrate how an everyday item we all take for granted is more remarkably complicated and interesting than most would guess. Additional educational materials include a glossary, chocolate facts, history highlights, and more. Check out the rest of this visually appealing Web site for other chocolate-related information and interactive activities. [RS]
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Switcheroo Zoo [Flash]
http://www.switchzoo.com/
As the name implies, the colorfully animated Switcheroo Zoo -- produced by Tubehead, an interactive multimedia studio -- allows you to swap the heads, legs, or tails of various zoo animals to create fantastical new creatures. Not just a place to watch cool morphing animation, this Web site has educational applications as well. Click on Educators' Resources, and scroll to the bottom of the page for a simple lesson plan geared toward younger students. The lesson plan is designed to "expand students' knowledge of animals and develop critical thinking skills," and "engage students in the creative application of that knowledge, as information about the characteristics of animals and their habitats is used to describe imaginary creatures." Useful links for researching the animals are provided on the same page, as are links to other education-oriented sites. By September 2002, users should find Switcheroo Zoo 50% faster with dozens of new animals. [RS]
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K-12 Plant Pathways to Science [.pdf]
http://www.apsnet.org/education/k-12plantpathways/TeachersGuide/Top.html
This Web site, from the American Phytopathological Society, contains a teacher's guide for lesson plans covering a range of plant science topics from powdery mildew to nematode-plant interactions. Not all the lesson plans are new, but each provides comprehensive background information, materials and methods, lesson plan descriptions, additional references, useful diagrams (best printed as PDF files), and more. Most of the lesson plans available are appropriate for grades 7-12, but some are designed for younger students (K-3). There are a number of interesting-looking lesson plans currently under construction. [RS]
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Cell Membranes Tutorial
http://www.biology.arizona.edu/cell_bio/problem_sets/membranes/index.html
New from The Biology Project of the University of Arizona, this online tutorial "introduces the dynamic complexes of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids that comprise cell membranes," and relates how membranes "are important for regulating ion and molecular traffic flow between cells." Each section of this Web site takes the form of a multiple choice question. Answer the question correctly, and a brief explanation of each answer choice will be displayed. Answer the question incorrectly, and a short but helpful tutorial with colorful diagrams will help get you on the right track. This would be an valuable Web site for students wishing to test themselves on cell membrane structure and function, but would not be especially useful for those new to the subject. [RS]
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University of Illinois Extension's Just for Kids [.pdf, Flash]
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/kids/index.html
Designed for younger students, this Web site from the University of Illinois Extension offers a number fun, interactive programs on a variety of life science topics. Most of the activities include a guide for teachers, which differ in level of detail. The activities themselves vary in their format and features, from animated cartoons with minimal text to pages of text with no diagrams at all. Check the teachers' guide of each activity for appropriate grade level. The activity about earthworms titled The Adventures of Herman is especially fun, with lots of worm-related games, links, and even an online art gallery to which students are encouraged to contribute. [RS]
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Botany Online: The Internet Hypertextbook
http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/e00/contents.htm
Originally in German, this online guide to the botanical sciences from the University of Hamburg is now partly available in English, with newly translated chapters and additional material continually added. The forty-five currently available chapters cover "all plant anatomy, classic genetics, organic chemistry and plant biochemistry, intercellular communication, interactions between plants, fungi, bacteria, and viruses, evolution, and a part of ecology." Once you find the Table of Contents (keep scrolling, it's near the bottom of the page), you'll find the chapters conveniently color-coded and organized by subject. Each link takes you to encyclopedia-like pages of detailed and well-presented information, complete with useful photos, diagrams, and related external links. This is a excellent, comprehensive resource for anyone interested in reviewing or learning more about botany. [RS]
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Plant Seeds of Learning
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson259.shtml
This Web site from Education World (last mentioned in the February 22, 2002 Scout Report) offers a wealth of plant-related lesson plans and resources. Five lesson plans from Education World, and over a dozen more listed from other sources, aim to "involve students in growing things and learning about scientific classification, plant cell structure, the importance of plants in our history, and the many uses of plants!" While some of the activities seem more like craft projects than science lessons, they all serve to encourage learning about plants in an engaging, hands-on way. Be sure to check out the links provided for additional plant-related resources for teachers. [RS]
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Eco-Portal: The Environmental Sustainability Information Source
http://www.eco-portal.com/
Eco-Portal, the self-described "information gateway empowering the movement for environmental sustainability," provides timely information on a number of environmental issues. On the tail end of the recently concluded World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, this Web site is worth a visit for news and commentary about summit proceedings. Click on the special Johannesburg coverage feature to access related stories from newspapers around the world. Aside from reviewing the Johannesburg Summit, this Web site offers a convenient collection of environmentally-related resources. Features include an Internet search engine for locating information about environmental concerns, the latest environmental sustainability news headlines, and dozens of links to related organizations. [RS]
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Discover Chimpanzees! [.pdf, QuickTime]
http://www.discoverchimpanzees.org/home/home.php
Meet the chimps of Tanzania's Gombe National Park at this entertaining Web site from the Jane Goodall Institute's Center for Primate Studies. With colorful photos on every page, this site offers biographies about specific chimpanzees written by the researchers who study them, a virtual tour of the park, recorded chimp calls, interactive games, relevant links, and more. Users can download over a dozen documents for additional information and activities, such as a guide to chimpanzee territorial behavior, instructions how to do a field sketch, and a map of Gombe National Park. The Behavior Glossary, which offers terrific QuickTime videos of dozens of chimp behaviors, is best accessed with a cable or DSL connection. Users with a 56K connection may be put off by the lengthy download time for many of the videos. [RS]
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Seafood Lover's Guide [.pdf]
http://www.audubon.org/campaign/lo/seafood/
The Audubon Society's Living Oceans program aims "to change the fundamental nature of how consumers and food service professionals select seafood," as the "buying power of consumers can create a market environment that encourages sustainable seafood and abundance in the seas." The online Seafood Lover's Guide works toward this goal by offering free information about the ecological sustainability of the way some of our favorite commercial fish and shellfish are managed. Visitors to the Web site can easily check the status of over a dozen species in the Seafood Guide, find out more about the seafood industry in the Seafood FAQ, learn how Audubon sets the criteria for ranking different seafood species, and more. Visitors are encouraged to contact Living Oceans for a free wallet-sized seafood guide or download it with Adobe Acrobat (prints out as a full page). [RS]
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National Fire Plan [.pdf]
http://www.fireplan.gov/
In light of President Bush's recent proposal to allow increased logging as a preventative measure against future forest fires, readers may want to keep tabs on this official Web site of the National Fire Plan, a joint project of the US Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior, Forest Service, and National Association of State Foresters. The site is quite comprehensive, offering fairly detailed information about firefighting, plans for landscape rehabilitation and restoration, research and accountability, fuel reduction strategies, and more. The site also provides a link to the National Fire Plan Maps Web site, which is an "internet based mapping application that visually portrays the Department of Interior and Department of Agriculture land management agencies hazardous fuels program projects in relation to the wildland urban interface communities." Other useful features include an extensive glossary and a link to wildfire updates from the National Interagency Fire Center. In all, this is a well-designed, comprehensive resource. [RS]
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Plants in Motion [QuickTime]
http://sunflower.bio.indiana.edu/~rhangart/plantmotion/PlantsInMotion.html
Roger P. Hangarter of Indiana University's Department of Biology has created this wonderful collection of time-lapse photography that allows us "to see the movements of plants and clearly demonstrates that plants are living and capable of some extraordinary things. " The videos available show a broad range of plant growth phenomena, including germination, circadian responses, phototropism, and much more. The movies are fun to watch in and of themselves, but don't miss out on the informative descriptions that accompany each video and category heading. Macintosh users can also print out a flip book using NIH Image, a free image analysis software (link provided). Even those with only a passing interest in botany will find this Web site entertaining and informative. [RS]
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Coral Mortality and African Dust [.pdf, QuickTime]
http://catbert.er.usgs.gov/african_dust/
This Web site from the US Geological Survey contains in-depth information about the idea that airborne dust from increased desertification in northern Africa may affect the health of coral reef systems in the Caribbean. The site provides a short but thorough explanation of the phenomenon, and links to other Web sites that have featured it as a news story or television documentary. The site also contains an image gallery depicting the decline of two coral reefs over a four-decade period, as well as satellite images of African dust spanning the Atlantic and beyond. The most engaging feature of this site is the online movie, a mini-documentary about the dust-coral reef connection, which can be viewed with QuickTime. Other features include a printable info-sheet with high quality photos, descriptions of recent coral mortality events, and information about coral diseases. This Web site is worth a visit for its comprehensive overview of an environmental problem that has probably escaped the notice of most people. [RS]
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Fossil Hominids: The Evidence for Human Evolution
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/
This Web site from Talk.Origins, a "Usenet newsgroup devoted to the discussion and debate of biological and physical origins," aims to "provide an overview of the study of human evolution, and of the currently accepted fossil evidence." Recognized for excellence by a number of science and education organizations, this site has been updated to include new material concerning Homo habilis and two newly discovered fossil hominid skulls. As before, the site also offers an overview of the latest developments in paleoanthropology, general information about hominid species, and links and references, as well as closely following the controversial evolution vs. creationism debate. The site is simply presented and easy to navigate, and offers a convenient way to keep current with paleoanthropological issues. [RS]
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In Search of Moon Trees [.m3u, QuickTime]
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/13aug_moontrees.htm
In 1971, hundreds of tree seedlings germinated aboard NASA's Apollo 14 mission to the moon. A few years later, they were planted around the nation, often with much fanfare. However, no one kept a systematic record of these plantings, and as a result, the whereabouts of most of the trees remains a mystery. Visitors can read or listen to an account of the history and current status of them at this Web site, and follow links to access additional information relating to the story or to learn the location of known Moon trees. NASA scientist Dave Williams continues to search for the remaining trees and encourages readers to contact him if they believe they know of trees not currently mentioned on his list. What this site lacks in colorful, interactive features is more than made up for by its engaging feature story. [RS]
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West Nile Virus
1. Mosquito Bytes
http://whyfiles.org/016skeeter/index.html
2. West Nile Information from the National Institutes of Health
http://www.nih.gov/news/westnile.htm
3. West Nile Information from the Centers for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm
4. West Nile Virus Maps 2002
http://cindi.usgs.gov/hazard/event/west_nile/west_nile.html
5. What's Going on with the West Nile Virus?
http://www.cfe.cornell.edu/erap/WNV/
6. Mosquito Zoom [Flash]
http://www.londonweb.net/mosquito/
7. Mosquitoes: How to Control Them
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/citizens/mosquito.htm
8. Comparative Efficacy of Insect Repellents Against Mosquito Bites
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/347/1/13
The first Web site (1) is one of the latest entertaining feature stories from the Why Files, which covers mosquitoes and the diseases they carry, including the West Nile Virus. Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases provides fact sheets and articles about the virus in this straightforward Web site (2), while a similar Web site (3) from the Centers for Disease Control offers more information about the disease, prevention measures, and more. The next Web site (4), from the US Geological Survey, contains frequently updated maps of the spread of West Nile Virus in birds; humans; and its vector, the mosquito. Cornell University's Center for the Environment offers the latest news about the virus in this Web site (5). Get a close look at a mosquito in this scanning electron micrograph image provided by London Web Communications, using pictures from the Museum of Science, Boston (6). The US Environmental Protection Agency provides this Web site (7) reviewing mosquito-borne diseases, the mosquito life cycle, and mosquito population control measures. The final Web site (8) is an article from the New England Journal of Medicine regarding a comparative study of insect repellents. [RS]
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Below are the copyright statements to be included when reproducing annotations from The NSDL Scout Report for the Life Sciences.
The single phrase below is the copyright notice to be used when reproducing any portion of this report, in any format:
From The NSDL Scout Report for Life Sciences, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2002. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/
The paragraph below is the copyright notice to be used when reproducing the entire report, in any format:
Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2002. The Internet Scout Project (http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/), located in the Computer Sciences Department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides information about the Internet to the U.S. research and education community under a grant from the National Science Foundation, number NCR-9712163. The Government has certain rights in this material. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the entire Scout Report provided this paragraph, including the copyright notice, are preserved on all copies.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, or the National Science Foundation.
For information on additional contributors, see the Internet Scout Project staff page:
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