- November 26, 1997 - Irises
- Along with a description of the genus Iris and its relatives, a comprehensive list of national and international iris societies, and a bibliography for irises that includes books, proceedings, monographs, and periodicals, is a choice collection of other iris pages on the web covering everything from culture to pronunciation. Images abound in pages dedicated to this showy flower, and the chosen websites here are definitely cool- Try Filip Van Bourgognie's Mystery of the Iris, and brush up on Latin over at Tom Tadfor Little's gardening page. A good time with geometry and computer science is also to be had at this site by David E. Joyce, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts. (****) -LF
- November 25, 1997 - PlantLink
- Featured by the Plant America multi-media resource site for horticulture and design, PlantLink's URL search engine has 88,000 plant names, pre-programmed for nomenclatural accuracy, and utilizes METAFIND's advanced search capabilities for delivering multiple returns from the major search engines. A customizing filter of plant characteristics which can be added to the search was developed under the direction of Dr. Eric Marler, formerly of IBM, an ardent horticulturalist and botanist.This is an indispensable tool for anyone seeking a variety of documents pertaining to individual plants. All that's needed here is a properly spelled name- family, common, or genus, for loads of info at your fingertips at this site by Plant America, Locust Valley, New York. (****) -LF
- November 24, 1997 - Integrated Pest Management at Iowa State University
- While this IPM cool-site is home central for Corn Rootworm and European Corn Borer, it also maintains a fabulous Entomology Index of Internet Resources along with numerous extension service publications online. Iowa Insect Notes has something for everyone in the line of home pests. Issues of Horticulture and Home Pest News from 1992 to the present can be searched and the Integrated Crop Management Newsletter is available beginning with January 1996. Download RealAudio for tapes of Extension agent interviews sent to subscribing radio stations in the Midwest and visit the Plant Disease Clinic for a really good look at Corn Stalk Rot in Iowa. This participating member of the National IPM network site is by John VanDyk, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. (****) -LF
- November 21, 1997 - Bat Conservation International
- One look at bat pollination in the article by Merlin Tuttle "Photographing the Secret World of Bats" is enough to dispel generations of negative publicity about the delicate creature folks love to fear. This wholly educational site is designed to make a bat enthusiast of all who visit, with fifteen years of Bats magazine articles, cool bat facts and astonishing trivia, how to echolocate bats, and how to become a bat house architect and a member of the North American Bat House Research Project. Read about Texas Bats and Bridges, bat conservation in action, and follow links to the BBPOTW (best bat pages on the web) at this site by Bat Conservation International, Inc., Austin, Texas. (****) -LF
- November 20, 1997 - Global Entomology Agriculture Research Server (GEARS)
- What's all this we hear about killer bees? Get the facts from the experts at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, from how to bee-proof your property to the economic significance of the honey bee. Here it's reported that "honey bee pollination adds $10.7 billion to the value of the crops they pollinate, " while "one-third of the total U.S. diet is derived from insect-pollinated plants." Lessons in pollination, bee behavior, beekeeping and bee biology lessen the sting of Hollywood myths and instead emphasize insect/plant relationships. The WebBeePop Honey Bee Population Dynamics Simulation Model is accompanied by a discussion on the purpose of mathematical modeling. Public domain software, current events, and cool bee links are all part of the buzz at this killer site by The Carl Hayden Bee Research Center and the United States Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. (****) -LF
- November 19, 1997 - Kimball's Biology Pages
- Retired professor John W. Kimball's pages, mostly concerned with molecular and cellular biology, hyperlink a glossary of topics with definitions and mini-essays, to fully exploit the advantages of learning on the web, where information is easily kept updated, concise, and correctable at low expense. Some of the text is based on the author's fourth revision of his book Biology (1994), and as well reflects his distinguished career teaching immunology. Illustrated mini-essays on the Calvin Cycle, the light reactions of photosynthesis, and plant growth are there for the obligate-botanist, along with useful tidbits like the human biological aspects of calcium, aluminum, agent orange, and how new drugs are tested. Contains also an essay on standard deviation and a page featuring the International System of Units. Site by John W. Kimball. (****) -LF
- November 18, 1997 - The Learning Web
- Dedicated to K-12 education and lifelong learning, there are many nifty products in this corner of the USGS web which excels as well in its layout and graphic presentation. Pages of the online booklets are clean and easy to read with just enough decoration to stave away internet ho-hum- for example see the booklet Fossils, Rocks, and Time under "educational materials" in the Adventures section, or Volcanoes by Robert I. Tilling, in the Living section. Find out who uses the most water for what in the U.S. and what acid rain is doing to the face of the nation's capital. Those who'd like to learn the interpretation of color-infrared photographs and false-color composites, or who'd just like to take an electronic field trip to Glacier Mountain will not be disappointed. Indeed it would be difficult to not come away with a handful of at least several maps and fact sheets from this site by the United States Geological Survey, maintained by Maura Hogan et al., Reston, Virginia. (****) -LF
- November 17, 1997 - Education World
- This huge webzine for educators at all grade levels has feature articles, site reviews, and a database which presently includes 50,000 educational sites. A quick survey revealed that of these, about 1222 are science subjects. Amongst the sciences, approximate numbers of site entries by topic are as follows: 334 Chemistry, 115 Environment, 89 Earth Science, 82 Biology, 81 Astronomy, 53 Agriculture, 38 Geology, 38 Medical Scienece, 36 Life Science, 25 Zoology, 20 Engineering, 19 Aviation and Flight, 19 Botany, 15 Veterinary, 12 Climatology, 11 Evolution, and 4 Computer Science. Physical Education, at 2414, has twice the amount of entries as the two other top ranking subjects of History and Science, followed by Art with 857, and Reading, Writing, Math and Geography all with in the neighborhood of around three hundred sites each. Enjoying least representation are the Humanities with 141, Grammar with 70, Spelling with 15, and Handwriting 0. While Education World is definitely a hot place to discover new resources, educators will also want to consider that if these numbers are a reflection of social interest, what would happen if we could push the button now and come back in 300 years. Site by education-world.com. (****) -LF
- November 14, 1997 - EvolveIT
- Come test and evaluate the new simulation program at California State University's Biology Lab Online, where two finch populations on Darwin and Wallace Islands may be compared for changes in beak depth over time by manipulation of genetic and environmental parameters. The program generates a field report, graphic data, and the input summary. Imagining just the effects of environmental pollution on fertility of Darwin Island finches doesn't take long to eliminate them entirely! Though an introduction to genetics is required to interpret the data, concepts of natural selection are nonetheless well-communicated with a little time spent running and re-running the experiment. EvolveIT is produced by Faculty of the California State University in collaboration with The CSU Center for Distributed Learning (CDL), Sonoma State University; and in collaboration with the Center for Usability in Design and Assessment (CUDA), CSU Long Beach, California. (****) -LF
- November 13, 1997 - Electronic Herbarium
- In its infancy in terms of "web-time," Electronic Herbarium displays talent, innovation, and a worthy product, with a collection of scientifically illustrated herbarium specimens being developed as educational software packages. The images are drawn by hand for crystal clear depictions of morphological features. Diagnostic characters are labeled, and other typical herbarium sheet label information accompanies the illustrated specimen. They make great print-outs and could be used quite effectively as course material supplements.The artist sees electronic specimens riding the wave of the future, and encourages feedback from educators concerning which of the most commonly-taught plants or plant collections would meet their needs. Don't delay putting in your vote for what you'd like to see in the Electronic Herbarium at this marriage of art and science site by Victoria Vancek, British Columbia, Canada.(****) -LF
- November 12, 1997 - The Bad Bug Book
- A great link for microbio-, invert-zoology, health, and immuno- studies, the U.S.F.D.A. Handbook reviews pathogenic bacteria, parasitic protozoa and worms, viruses, and natural toxins. The text is supplemented with links to the National Library of Medicine's Entrez glossary and recent articles from Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports on outbreaks or incidents of foodborne disease. Selected chapters on pathogenic microorganisms have hypertext links to relevant NLM Entrez abstracts and GenBank genetic loci. A typical entry provides organism name, name of acute disease, nature of disease, diagnosis, associated foods, frequency of disease, target populations, method of food analysis, and history of major recent disease outbreaks. Learn to appreciate the benefits of eating at home at this site by Mark Walderhaug and the United States Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition, Washington, DC. (****) -LF
- November 11, 1997 - The National Agricultural Library/Biotechnology Information Center (BIC)
- Within the National Agricultural Library's website of nine information centers, BIC is designed for access to agricultural biotechnology information services and publications, and is an informative place from which to consider careers in biotechnology. Under Federal Documents find the article "Biotechnology for the 21st Century: New Horizons " which describes four areas of opportunity- in agriculture, in environment, in manufacturing and bioprocessing, and in marine biotechnology and aquaculture. See how scientists are transferring the gene for salt-tolerance and learning how to make beneficial microbes even more beneficial! BIC has well-developed sections on bioremediation and Bacillus thuringiensis, access to biotech newsletters and news groups from around the world, miscellaneous publications, selected patent texts, resources for educators, bibliographies galore and software. Site by The National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, Maryland. (****) -LF
- November 10, 1997 - Biological Control: A Guide to Natural Enemies in North America
- Cornell University's biocontrol site currently includes forty pages of natural predators of major plant insect, disease, and weed pests, with photographs of life cycle stages, habitat descriptions and useful information. Read about Oxyops vitiosa, the melaleuca weevil that's eating south Florida, and learn about the four types of natural enemies through a cleanly organized, easy to follow tutorial, supplemented with a brief introduction to insect biology and insect ecology. Intended for use by educators, students, commercial growers, and professionals, the Guide excels as a reference which is utilizable by the public. A neat link for biology for non-science majors ( Plants and People courses) as well as any number of life sciences courses, this site is by Catherine R. Weeden, Anthony M. Shelton, and Michael P. Hoffmann, Editors, Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Ithaca, New York. (****) -LF
- November
7, 1997 - Park Net / Nature Net
- Twin sites of the National Park Service are providing regular features on the heritage of our national parks and what measures are being taken for its preservation. Currently at Park Net, "Lying Lightly in the Land" describes the building of national park roads and parkways with a journey through Yellowstone Park before the automobile, and with Postcard Tours of the Golden Age of Park Roads (from the mid 1920's to the beginning of World War II). The Infozone gives a brief history of the park service, its administration and its organization. Links to the Past include "Civil War Collections from Gettysburg" and other articles of historical and cultural interest. Jump to Nature Net for the 1996 "Natural Resource Year in Review, A report of the National Park Service, summarizing and analyzing the year in natural resource stewardship in the national park system." Prize links to the Code of Federal Regulations, and to online copies of the NPS Handbook for Ranking Exotic Plants for Management and Control, and The National Park Service Integrated Pest Management Manual are revealed behind Publications. Site produced by: for "Visit Your Parks Section," Sue Moran, Volunteer Web Author ; and the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Headquarters, Washington D.C. (****) -LF
- November 6, 1997 - SLU Alnarp - Plant Protection: Chemical Ecology
- Truly one of the world's most breathtaking agricultural universities, SLU - Alnarp is a castle frozen in time, in a landscape of blossoming trees and flower beds that sweep down the hillside to the coniferous forests of Sweden. No doubt the ideal place to study bark beetles (order Coleoptera: family Scolytidae) and to create a website that takes one right into the author's work with an interactive learning center that enables the reader (with sufficient background in biology and organic chemistry) to comprehend the research. The quizzes allow the test-taker to continue trying to answer the same questions, and by the time a score of 90% is achieved, it's time to begin studying the ecology of bark beetles in the author's publications. (Advanced ecologists can go right for the free scientific software). Dashes of humor, philosophical quotes, poker, and great links provide the all-important elements of distraction to the learning session. Brush up on the molecular structure of terpene and pheromone, or the difference between klinotaxis and klinokinesis, but whatever else, don't miss the photos of the SLU - Alnarp campus spring and summer, or the midnight sunset behind Picea abies at this exceptional site by John A. Byers, SLU-Alnarp, Sweden. (****) -LF
- November
5, 1997 - Reef Resource Page
- Students of coral reefs or invertebrate zoology will value this source of reviews of reef sites on the web, both scientific and popular, with descriptions of and links to reef institutes and field stations, and a fine introduction to reef geology, an important aspect of reef science the author in his internet travels has found to be lacking . The Reef Gallery features images of the reefs around Grand Cayman Island, and Reef Notes is the place to keep up-to-date on important news, events, and announcements. An interesting link to "Non-governmental Organizations: guidelines for good policy and practice" is provided as a standard for interest groups soliciting supporters, and as a plea to "stamp out" nuisance organizations of dubious integrity. Take the plunge and find out what the real cause of reef degradation might be at this site by Dr. Paul Blanchon, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.(****) -LF
- November 4, 1997 - Illinois Natural History Survey
- Ecologists and plant and animal biologists can have a
virtual field day accessing information through the INHS databases and its Centers for
Biodiversity, Economic Entomology, Aquatic Ecology, and Wildlife Ecology. Along with the
Collections, various summaries and cool-links are found throughout the site which are most
easily located with an Excite Search. Get info on invasive plant management strategies,
endangered species and their associated biota, stiletto flies, zebra mussels, and
everything you need to know about Freshwater Mussels of the Midwest in the online
book. The Ecological Database of the World's Insect Pathogens provides information on
fungi, viruses, protozoa, mollicutes, nematodes, and bacteria that are infectious in
insects, mites, and related arthropods. Bound to provide hours of fruitful searching, this
site is produced by the Illinois Natural History Survey, University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. (****) -LF
- Ecologists and plant and animal biologists can have a
virtual field day accessing information through the INHS databases and its Centers for
Biodiversity, Economic Entomology, Aquatic Ecology, and Wildlife Ecology. Along with the
Collections, various summaries and cool-links are found throughout the site which are most
easily located with an Excite Search. Get info on invasive plant management strategies,
endangered species and their associated biota, stiletto flies, zebra mussels, and
everything you need to know about Freshwater Mussels of the Midwest in the online
book. The Ecological Database of the World's Insect Pathogens provides information on
fungi, viruses, protozoa, mollicutes, nematodes, and bacteria that are infectious in
insects, mites, and related arthropods. Bound to provide hours of fruitful searching, this
site is produced by the Illinois Natural History Survey, University of
- November
3, 1997 - Economic Botany Leaflets
- Volume 1 of a new publication for the economic botany community by the Southern Illinois University Herbarium features a May 8, 1997 interview with Senator Paul Simon (D-IL), noted for his outstanding environmental voting record during his term in the U.S. Senate. He was asked to comment on people in the senate, the democratic party platform, business and federal research dollars, automakers and oil, industry and federally-funded research partnerships, ozone, intellectual property rights and foreign affairs, and general policy issues, all in their relevance to scientists. Economic Botany Leaflets will consider interviews conducted by readers and would like comments and letters to the editor about its presentations. A link to the Journal of Economic Botany Editor's Web Page calls for reviewers for a list of books waiting to be read, so don't delay bookmarking this site edited by Don Ugent and Miriam Kritzer Van Zant, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois. (****) -LF
