December 31 -- California Academy of Science Diatom Resources
Diatoms have delicate, ornate cell walls composed of silicon dioxide.
These aquatic protists' shells - glassy boxes that appear to be jewels
when viewed through a microscope - are the basis for their taxonomy.
This site contains many taxonomic databases and other resources assembled
by the California Academy of Sciences, whose collection includes more than
59,000 samples. An illustrated key covers more than 70 genera of diatoms.
There's also a diatom glossary, a database of genus names, and a roster
of the 472 type specimens in the academy's collection. You can also read
a primer on diatom biology or catch up on the latest news articles on diatoms.
(I'm a diatom devotee, so I think it's a fantastic site! - Alton Biggs)
http://www.calacademy.org/research/diatoms
December 24 -- Scott’s Botanical Links
At Scott's Botanical Links, a sprawling collection of reviewed and
rated links, you can read about famous botanists, locate photos of plants,
or learn how to propagate them. Scott Russell, a botanist at the University
of Oklahoma, Norman, adds a new site to the list every day or two. The
content runs from highly technical DNA databases to general how-to's on
plant care, and the searchable archives stretch back to 1996. http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/
December 17 -- The Geology of Caves:
Use this resource from The Riverdeep Current to support your discussion
of
unique habitats and evolution of living things to secure a niche. Students
can also visit underground marvels and learn how they were formed.
Link to
student activities with acids and bases, or create a geologic time-line,
diorama, and glossary for one of the caves your class will discover
here.
http://riverdeep.net/current/2001/12/121001_caves.jhtml
December 10 -- The History of Science
This site contains a wealth of information for the beginner wanting
to know
about the history of science to the expert. Links to famous biologists
and
important scientific findings are one of the hallmarks of this site.
For
instance, you can visit The Huxley File or listen to a radio program
about a
new hominid skull found in Kenya.
http://www.cll.wayne.edu/isp/mrichmon/hist_sci.htm
December 3 -- Mother of the Jumping Gene
Barbara McClintock's genetic studies of corn
revealed that genes can move around on chromosomes and won her a Nobel
Prize in 1983, when she was 81. She battled skepticism toward her work
and barriers to women in science. A new section of the National Library
of Medicine's Profiles in Science site explores McClintock's life through
photos, letters, lecture notes, and other documents. A selection of 50
publications stretches from a 1926 article on polyploidy in corn to a 1971
paper on the control of gene expression. McClintock's writing reveals her
struggle to find a place in academia.
http://www.profiles.nlm.nih.gov/LL/
November 26 -- Scarab Central
Scarab beetles make up about 10% of the world’s
350,000 beetle species. Scarab beetles have been worshiped by the
ancient Egyptians, treasured by modern collectors, and cursed by greenskeepers.
Mary Liz Jameson, Curator of the University of Nebraska state Museum in
Lincoln, says, “Although a few kinds of scarabs feast on lawns or crops,
the majority are pollinators or part of our unseen garbage patrol" that
mulches dead animals and dung. If you are interested in this widespread
and diverse group, make a sweep through the site. The highlight is an illustrated
guide to 23 New World scarab families and subfamilies that offers detailed
physical descriptions and information on taxonomy, distribution, ecology,
and larval forms. There's also an identification key, a glossary, and a
directory of scarab researchers with brief biographies.
http://www-museum.unl.edu/research/entomology/index.htm
November 19 -- The Microbial World
This educational site is designed for students
in beginning microbiology courses. It has information on the ecological
importance of bacteria and fungi. The content covers more than 5 specific
topics - from Dutch elm disease, to airborne bacteria, to efforts to produce
a natural pesticide from the soil bug, Bacillus thuringiensis. You
can also take a virtual trip to microbial hangouts like Yellowstone Park's
hot springs.
http://helios.bto.ed.ac.uk/bto/microbes/microbes.htm
November 12 -- JUST FOR FUN: HAIR SCIENCE
Brush up on hair science at the Hair Science site sponsored by L'Oréal.
Find facts by combing through pages on hair growth, structure, color, and
ethnic differences. Find out if hair actually turns gray as we age. Other
pages explain what scientists can deduce by analyzing the composition of
hair such as Napoleon was probably poisoned with arsenic, and Beethoven
didn't die from syphilis. The site also plucks some revealing close-ups.
Victims of split ends, take heart: even the most lustrous locks appear
gnawed under the microscope.
http://www.hair-science.com
November 5 -- Meet a Fossil Pioneer
Joseph Leidy made meticulous studies of vertebrate
fossils, and showed that horses roamed North America long before the Spanish
conquest He also demonstrated that the continent was once home to enormous
ground sloths. This online exhibit explains the life and work of Leidy
(1823-91).
http://www.acnatsci.org/leidy/index.html
October 29 -- Microbes on the Move
Looking for some video footage of bugs to spice
up a virology, bacteriology, or immunology course? This video library from
the University of Leicester in the U.K has
more than 25 clips and animations that capture explosive bacterial growth,
HIV reproduction, amoebas engulfing prey, and similar
microbial dramas. There are how-to pages on microbiology
lab procedures, lecture notes, news updates, and some primers on topics
such as the bovine spongiform encephalopathy epidemic and the discovery
that mosquitoes spread yellow fever. Some
of the footage is available on videotape.
http://www-micro.msb.le.ac.uk/MBChB/MBChB.html
October 22 -- MIT Biology Hybertextbook
The MIT Biology Hypertextbook is an entire introductory
biology course. The 11 clearly written and illustrated chapters cover topics
such as basic chemistry, genetics, photosynthesis, immunology, and recombinant
DNA. To make sure you've mastered the material, try your hand at practice
problems at the end of each chapter.
http://esg-www.mit.edu:8001/esgbio/7001main.html
October 15 -- Patuxent Bird Identification
Information Center
Patuxent Bird Identification Information Center
presents photographs, songs, videos, and identifications tips. You will
also find maps and life histories of North American birds.
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/infocenter.html
October 8 -- The Littlest Things
Tutorials explain how to operate different types
of microscopes. Lab protocols on preparing specimens, a primer on optics,
sources of supplies and equipment, and advice on buying a microscope are
also available. Some links deliver visitors to galleries that show off
the kind of striking images modern microscopes can produce.
http://swehsc.pharmacy.arizona.edu/exppath/micro/index.html
October 1 -- Virtual Autopsy
http://www.le.ac.uk/pathology/teach/va2/titlpg.html
September 24 -- Coelacanths
Dinofish.com offers a look at the biology, history,
and conservation status
of coelacanths. The site includes a bibliography,
original sketches, photos,
and a first-person description by Jerome Hamlin
of a submersible trip to the
fish's deep-water home. Historical accounts cover
the ups and downs of
coelacanth studies.
http://www.dinofish.com
September 17 -- Bugscope
Gail Carmack, a TABT member, says that Bugscope
is a site where teachers can sign up to have their kids use a scanning
electron microscope (remotely) to investigate arthropods. Gail didn't tell
us, but we've since found out that
there are many excellent links to our arthropod
friends at this site.
http://bugscope.beckman.uiuc.edu
September 10 -- Earth by the Numbers
Do you ever want to know what percentage of land
in Uganda is set aside in reserves, or how many of Australia's 260 mammal
species are threatened, or how many wild orchids are legally sold each
year? You can track down the answers (the answers are 7.9, 58, and 343,801)
at EarthTrends. EarthTrends is a new environmental almanac packed with
facts and figures of value to teacher. Compiled by the World Resources
Institute, the data cover more than 140 countries as well as regional and
global trends. Topics range from energy production to fish consumption
to forest loss. Ten major themes (agriculture and food, climate and atmosphere,
etc.), include tables, country profiles, and downloadable maps.
http://earthtrends.wri.org/
September 3 -- The Brain Museum
Images of whole brains of more than 100 mammalian species from humans
to dolphins to tree shrews, and stained thin sections for 15 species. Brain
nomenclature and how to infer the brain structure of extinct animals from
impressions inside fossil skulls is included.
http://brainmuseum.org/
August 27 -- Crocodilians
Natural History and Conservation is a site created by croc
specialist Adam Britton of Darwin, Australia. It includes range maps,
photos, describes the physical characteristics, favorite haunts, and
breeding habits of all 23 species of crocodilians, and includes information
on the basic biology, taxonomy, and conservation status of crocodilians,
nearly half of which are endangered.
www.crocodilian.com
August 20 -- TRACKSTAR
Virginia Malone, a previous president of TABT, says that TRACKSTAR
is an excellent website for setting up a cluster of websites for your classes
so they don’t waste time with search engines. You can also use tracks that
others have already completed.
http://trackstar.hprtec.org/
August 13 -- Technology Dictionary
Did you ever wonder what that Error Message meant when you hit the
wrong key on your computer keyboard? If so, you can look up almost every
on in the Technology Dictionary. It also has a test for the Top 20 Words
of the Week.
http://whatis.techtarget.com/
August 6 -- Enature.com
Enature.com provides field guides for more that 4800 species. In addition,
you can set up a Species List for your classes. You will find them
at
http://www.enature.com/
July 30 -- MEDLINE Plus
MEDLINE Plus is a health information service of the National Library
of
Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. For health information,
it
doesn't get any better.
http://medlineplus.gov
July 22 -- HHMI Biointeractive
According to Janice Yoder Smith, past editor of The Texas Science Teacher,
"This is a really cool site. There are interactive virtual labs, animations,
etc. You can even order a free CD for your class."
http://www.hhmi.org/grants/lectures/biointeractive/index.htm
July 16 -- CDC Parasite Site
Parasites can wreck your health, maim, or kill. This site is a good
introduction to medically important parasites. Although aimed mainly
at the
medical profession, the content is excellent for students who wish
to find
out more about these organisms of disease. The side details the geographical
distribution, symptoms of infestation and treatment, along with a gallery
and life cycles for more than 100 parasites.
http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/DPDx
July 9 -- Dan Wivagg, one of TABT's founding members, says, "Here's
what eight biology seniors can do with the help of about 60 other Baylor
students and 340 seventh graders
http://www.baylor.edu/Science_Leadership/Spring01/index.htm
July 2 -- Smithsonian’s Entomology Databases
http://entomology.si.edu:591/entomology/data.html
June 25 -- Xenopus Database
http://xenbase.org/
June 18 -- The DNA Learning Center
http://vector.cshl.org/
June 11 -- Nature of Science and Evolution
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/
June 4 -- Modern Biology's Classics
http://www.ergito.com
May 28 -- BioMedNet
http://news.bmn.com/hmsbeagle
May 21 -- FREE
http://www.ed.gov/free/
May 14 -- WGBH Boston
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com
May 07 -- Human Evolution Online
http://www.becominghuman.org
April 30 -- Virtual Fetal Pig
http://www.whitman.edu/offices_departments/biology/vpd/
April 23 -- Access Excellence
http://www.accessexcellence.org/
April 16 -- Fish
www.biology.ualberta.ca/jackson.hp/IWR/index.php
April 09 -- Sea World/Busch Gardens
http://www.seaworld.org/animal_bytes/animal_bytes.html
