The mission of the Iowa Science
Teachers Section of the Iowa
Academy of Science is to advocate
for excellence in science education
by promoting professionalism,
influencing policy, and enhancing learning.

The mission of the Iowa Academy of Science is to further scientific research and its dissemination, education in the sciences, public understanding of science, and recognition of excellence in these endeavors.

• Access Excellence - a tremendous resource for biology as well as other teachers - includes scientist feedback and bulletin boards.
• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry - The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, an agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services, seeks "to serve the public by using the best science, taking responsive public health actions, and providing trusted health information to prevent harmful exposures and disease related to toxic substances."
• AlgaeBase - AlgaeBase is an organization "committed to providing free access over the internet to information on algae." Users may search this database for algae species of interest by scientific or common name. Results are cross referenced with synonyms, and some species include photos.
• Alien Empire - Learn about insects through cool, interactive Flash presentations, video clips, and games at this very fun and educational site.
• All Species Foundation - "The ALL Species Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the complete inventory of all species of life on Earth." This daunting task has important implications for effective conservation, environmental impact studies, and understanding ecosystem functioning. An important feature of the site is the Species Search Engine that includes over 1 million species.
• The American Association of Immunologists - The American Association of Immunologists (AAI) works "to advance knowledge of immunology and related disciplines, to foster interchange of ideas and information among investigators in the various disciplines and to promote an understanding of the field of immunology."
• American Society of Plant Taxonomists - The American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT) "promotes research and teaching in the taxonomy, systematics, and phylogeny of vascular and nonvascular plants."
• AmphibiaWeb - an information system for amphibian conservation biology
• Animal Alert - This Web site from Animal Planet offers visitors the very latest news about animals around the globe. Scroll along the map of the world, and then click on an icon. A pop-up window will appear with a synopsis of a news story, a link to the full story, and a list of related features on the Animal Planet Web site. A key to the map icons is provided. The full news story page also provides general information and trivia about each animal.
• Animal Behavior Society Web Site - Established in 1964, the Animal Behavior Society (ABS) "is a non-profit scientific society, founded to encourage and promote the study of animal behavior."
• Animal Diversity Web - The University of Michigan Museum of Zoology provides the searchable Animal Diversity Web database, with species accounts (images and text) of some of the world's mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, sharks, bony fishes, mollusks, arthropods and echinoderms.
• National Audubon Society Online Field Guides - over 4800 species, beautiful photos
• Artificial Anatomy: Papier-Mâché Anatomical Models - How did papier-mâché revolutionize the study of human anatomy? Find out at this site. You can also learn anatomy by playing "Place the Part" in the "Body Parts" section.
• Atlas of Plant Anatomy - The Atlas of Plant Anatomy comes courtesy of Paul J. Schulte, plant physiologist at the University of Nevada, who created the Web site for his plant anatomy course. The Atlas contains microscope photos of different plant structures in cross section, including cell tissues, reproductive structures, roots, stems, apical meristems, and leaves.
• Backyard Jungle - Created by Forum One Communications and funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Backyard Jungle is a kid-friendly Web site where members can upload photos, drawings, and descriptions of their own backyard or other natural area to share with an online community. Membership registration is straightforward and free of charge. While Backyard Jungle does not include any formal lesson plans or educational activities, it offers kids a fun incentive to explore and communicate about their natural surroundings.
• Backyard Nature - Backyard Nature is an excellent resource for information about many aspects of the natural world. The website provides extensive, well-organized sections for backyard Ecology, Plants, Animals, and Fungi -- to name just a few.
• Becoming Human - Presented by the Institute of Human Origins, Becoming Human is an interactive documentary experience that tells the story of human origins. Donald Johanson is the guide for this journey through four million years of human evolution.
• Bioethics - Sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Bioethics, this Website offers information and news related to bioethics (also called Medical Ethics) -- namely, the study of moral issues in the fields of medical treatment and research.
• The Biology Project - an online interactive resource for learning biology
• Biomes of the World - The Missouri Botanical Garden offers this colorful and appealing Web site about Earth's biomes and aquatic ecosystems. Designed for kids, Biomes of the World offers loads of well-presented information on rainforest, taiga, tundra, desert, temperate deciduous forest, and grassland, as well as freshwater and marine ecosystems.
• BirdSource - Associated with the Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, BirdSource is a Web site that allows Web users to participate in bird conservation and data gathering. By participating in bird identification and counts, citizens can help ornithologists determine species distribution and ranges. In addition to maps showing results from several public bird surveys, the site contains a great deal on identifying birds, conservation articles, and information for attracting birds to your feeder.
• Brain Explorer - Brain Explorer is an educational Web site from the Lundbeck Institute that provides a highly visual and informative tour of the brain. Brain Atlas offers a good starting point, with well-designed diagrams of the brain and spinal cord, detailed explanatory information, and a handy pop-up glossary.
• Brain: The World Inside Your Head - The pharmaceutical company Pfizer publishes this Web site as a complement the traveling exhibit of the same name (currently in Atlanta, GA). This Web site makes learning about the brain interesting and fun for children and adults alike. Visitors can take a virtual tour of the museum exhibit for a thorough introduction to the brain and how it works, and then test their understanding with a well-presented quiz.
• Brains Rule! - Brains Rule!, a joint project of Creighton University and the University of Texas Health Science Center, aims to "promote learning about the brain and nervous system among children and adults using new and exciting teaching methods."
• BugGuide.Net - Created by software developer and amateur insect photographer Troy Bartlett, BugGuide.Net is an "online resource devoted to North American insects, spiders and their kin, offering identification, images, and information." Site visitors can locate animals by browsing the extensive and image-rich indices for Arachnids, Centipedes, Millipedes, Hexapods, and Malacostracans.
• Bugscope - Bugscope is a new educational outreach project of the World Wide Laboratory. Participating classrooms will have the opportunity to control a Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope to image insects at high magnification. Students and teachers control the microscope using web browsers from their classroom computers. The microscope is located at the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
• Bureau of Land Management Environmental Education
• Butterfly Lab - This Web site comes from the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's Judy Istock Butterfly Haven, located in Chicago, Illinois. Designed for students in grades 7-12, Butterfly Lab offers online activities and materials covering butterfly anatomy, life cycle, behavior, and related topics. Detailed information is accompanied by colorful diagrams and photographs.
• The Butterfly Site.com - Are you interested in rearing butterflies with your kids or releasing live butterflies at your wedding? You can find out about these possibilities and many more at the Butterfly Site, a resource website-created by entomologist Randi Jones that is full of all kinds of annotated butterfly links.
• Cancer Index - Cancer researcher Simon Cotterill has developed this Web site to help users find quality information on specific cancer topics. The site is essentially a directory of links organized into categories based on things like type of cancer, treatment, support groups, and cancer prevention. The countries section also contains lists of online resources in languages other than English. This site is specific to cancer issues affecting adults, but there is also sister Web site, the Children's Cancer Web.
• CancerQuest - This Emory University Web site offers an extensive set of illustrated tutorials designed to teach the biology of cancer. Developed for cancer patients, friends and families of cancer patients, and health professionals, CancerQuest aims to "inform the curious and empower current cancer patients and survivors of cancer with a better understanding of the disease process and the approaches currently taken in cancer treatment."
• CarbonCounter.org - CarbonCounter.org is a "collaborative project between the Climate Trust, a pioneering non-profit organization that promotes climate change solutions, and Mercy Corps, a leading international relief and development agency with programs in over 30 countries around the world." Visitors can use the carbon counter to calculate how much carbon dioxide they emit over a year in their day-to-day use of cars, heat and air conditioning, etc.
• Catalogue of the Fossil Flies of the World - This online database from the Bishop Museum, Honolulu is an excellent resource for entomologists and paleontologists. The paper version of the Catalogue contains over 3,100 species of fossil flies (Order: Diptera) from all over the world. Flies of the Order Diptera are one of the most successful groups of insects, comprising an estimated 120,000 taxonomically valid species. The online version has all of the contents of the original plus regular updates, so it provides the most current information on fossil dipteran taxonomy.
• Cell Biology Animation
• Center for Environmental Education Online - The Center for Environmental Education (CEE) was founded as a clearinghouse for educational resources by Jayni and Chevy Chase in 1989. Almost a decade later, the Center moved to Antioch New England Graduate School, a stronghold for environmental education; and more recently CEE developed this website to assist environmental educators around the globe.
• The Center for North American Herpetology - The Center for North American Herpetology (CNAH) "serves as a data bank for information about North American amphibians, turtles, reptiles, and crocodilians, and promotes the study and conservation of them by financial support of selected publications, photography, and any other appropriate medium, as well as the establishment of awards for excellence in research about these fascinating creatures."
• Childbirth.Org - Childbirth.Org is a resource website developed and maintained by a group of childbirth experts including registered nurses, midwives, doulas, a certified childbirth educator, and a lactation consultant.
• Classification of Living Things: Introduction - Dr. Dennis O'Neal of Palomar College designed this site to introduce students to a tutorial on the Classification of Living Things. Topics addressed at this site include the Linnaen system of classification, amount of species in our world, the importance of biological diversity, the history of classification, and the relevancy of classification in the present day. - added 01/04
• Classroom Currents - PBS offers this online set of lesson plans and other learning resources to help students explore the world's oceans. The Web site provides ten interdisciplinary activities for grades K-12. The activities cover a broad range of fields, including history, poetry and literature, economics, and of course the sciences. The activities' titles Weird Sea Creatures (grades K-6 with modification) and Ocean Adaptation Wheels (grades 2-6) each have a life sciences focus. The site also includes numerous links to related PBS and other Web sites, as well as a list of recommended books.
• Conservation and Environmental Maps - American Memory, the Library of Congress' "gateway to rich primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States," offers this gem of a site on exploration and land use in the US.
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Urban Bird Studies - The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has distinguished itself by creating great public-oriented educational programs. Representing this tradition of public outreach, the Lab’s Urban Bird Studies program encourages urbanites to participate in a global data collection project that will be utilized by scientists at the Cornell Lab.
• Crocodilians - Created by crocodile expert Dr. Adam Britton, this educational Web site provides all you need to know about crocodiles. A species list provides an overview of all 23 crocodile species, with information like taxonomy, location, habitat, and distribution. The Crocodilian Biology Database provides more detailed information on biological topics common to all crocodiles.
• Developmental Physiology - This Web portal offered through the University of North Texas aims to "promote a sense of identity and connectivity among interested scientists and students active in the burgeoning field of developmental physiology."
• Discover Life - Discover Life's goal is to help study, use, conserve, and enjoy the diversity of life.
• DNA from the Beginning - Immerse yourself in the field of genetics! Animations, video interviews, an image gallery, and problems to solve make this site a fun and great place to learn genetics!
• The Edward Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research - Edward Jenner is well known for his development of an innovative vaccine for smallpox. The Edward Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research (EJIVR) follows in his footsteps as it conducts immunological research along two primary tracks. The first one involves "work on areas of immunology relevant to the development of all vaccines, including antigen presentation, immunological memory and autoimmunity. The second consists of work that focuses on specific diseases or targets where vaccines, or improved vaccines, are needed."
• Evolution Website - Organized into nine sections, Evolution Website gives the viewer lessons of "4,000 million years crammed into one website."
• ExplorA-Pond - ExplorA-Pond is an online opportunity for collaborative science among classrooms from around the world. Classrooms that register with the site can adopt a local pond and submit the results of one or more of the Pond Activities/ Lesson Plans. Regardless of whether your classroom chooses to register, the activities and lesson plans designed for K-6th graders provide a hands-on approach to science and math lessons.
• Extreme 2000: Voyage to the Deep - Join scientists on a deep-sea expedition! They are searching for organisms that have never before been seen! This site is rich with videos, photos, and multimedia learning tools. You will need the Quicktime plug-in to enjoy all the features on this site.
• Eyetricks.com - This site is dedicated to optical illusions, 3-D stereograms, and other mind-teasing oddities.
• Fatbirder - Fatbirder website creator Richard Crombet-Beolens notes that his site "is an attempt to put as many birders in touch with each other throughout the world as possible to encourage friendship and conservation."
• FishBase - FishBase on the Web offers a free "relational database with information to cater to different professionals such as research scientists, fisheries managers, zoologists and many more." Developed at the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management together with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and many other partners, FishBase is the online source for "all you ever wanted to know about fishes." This multi-featured Web site is frequently updated.
• Food and Science - Students can learn chemistry through cooking! This site for teachers has lots of fun lesson plans that link chemistry and food preparation.
• Forest Conservation Portal - The Forest Conservation Portal is maintained by Forests.org, a non-governmental organization dedicated to "ending deforestation, preserving old-growth forests, conserving all forests, maintaining climatic systems and commencing the age of ecological restoration." At the Portal, users will find a large series of news articles and resources on forests, forest regions, forest ecology, forest destruction and protection, and related information. Intended for activists and activism, this site contains current news with international coverage.
• ForestWorld - This interesting site from ForestWorld.com, Inc. provides a wealth of information on the forestry industry, with some attention to ecology and conservation.
• Doctor Fungus - Doctor Fungus is the work of a group of physicians and medical doctors, along with contributions from Web users. The site attempts to provide scholarly and peer-reviewed information to "promote an understanding of fungi and the ways that fungal diseases affect people living throughout the world." The information is well organized into a variety of categories, and the introductory information uses non-scientific terms. Other sections useful to a general audience include a glossary, a list of abbreviations, and a large image bank that allows users to search for a specific fungus or disease that it causes.
• Enchanted Learning: Biomes-Habitats - Created by Enchanted Learning, this kid-friendly Biome-Habitats website introduces children to many of the earth's biomes.
• The Firefly Files - Summer is coming, and the Fireflies will soon be out. This Web site from the Museum of Biological Diversity at Ohio State University contains a variety of information about the biology of these bioluminescent bugs. The site includes various facts in non-scientific language and answers questions ranging from where they live to what makes them glow.
• The Garden Helper - This informative online gardening resource was created by longtime gardener and former nursery owner Bill Beaurain. The website presents information addressing such topics as Gardening Basics, Creating New Gardens, Fruits and Vegetables, Annual and Perennial Plants, Shrubs and Trees, Bulbs, and more. Site visitors can also link to brief growing guidelines for a wide variety of plants listed by scientific and common name.
• General Biology Lesson Plans - A variety of lesson plans are provided on this Biology Project Web page from the University of Arizona Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. The site provides a short description and suggested grade level for each lesson plan, along with a link. A wide variety of topics are covered, including insects, ecology, plants, genetics, and cellular biology. The lessons are aimed at students from middle school through advanced high school biology, and each is well organized and easy to navigate.
• Genes 2000 - a detailed educational site as the online (and continuously updated) version of the printed resource, GENES.
• Genetics Home Reference: Your Guide to Understanding Genetic Conditions - The Genetic Home Reference, offered through the National Library of Medicine, offers easy-to-understand "consumer information about genetic conditions and the genes responsible for those conditions."
• Genome@home - With Genome@home, a project at Stanford University, computer owners can become de facto researchers in virtual genome protein design. By downloading and running the Genome@home protein sequence design client, users lend their idle computer time to run calculations for use with such projects as designing new medical drugs, understanding protein evolution, and determining the function of newly sequenced genes.
• GOLD™ Genomes OnLine Database - Free for academic and non-commercial use, the Genomes OnLine Database (GOLD) is an internet "resource for comprehensive access to information regarding complete and ongoing genome projects around the world.
• Global Crop Pests Identification and Information - 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.
• Global Invasive Species Database - This site was developed by the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG), an international group of 100+ scientific and policy experts with the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The entry page of the Website offers background information on invasive species and instructions on how to use the database.
• The Gross Physiology of the Cardiovascular System - This site is the online text of Dr. Robert M. Anderson's book The Gross Physiology of the Cardiovascular System. Even though biomedical knowledge is continually advancing and becoming more specific, Anderson feels that it is important to "have a clear understanding of the gross mechanical function of the cardiovascular system as a whole."
• Healthopedia.com - The mission of Healthopedia.com "is to be the Internet's most trusted and extensive information resource for health and medical content."
• Historical Anatomies on the Web - Historical Anatomies on the Web is a digital project of the National Library of Medicine offering selected images from illustrated anatomical atlases spanning the 15th to 20th centuries. The atlases represented in this collection were chosen primarily for their historical and artistic significance, but anyone with an interest in medicine or the history of medical science should find this Web site appealing.
• The Hormone Foundation - The Hormone Foundation, the public education affiliate of The Endocrine Society, "is dedicated to serving as a resource for the public by promoting the prevention, treatment and cure of hormone-related conditions."
• Human Anatomy - The EMuseum at the University of Minnesota-Mankato provides this educational site on human anatomy.
• Human Anatomy Label Me! Printouts - This Web site from Enchanted Learning (last mentioned in the June 28, 2002 Scout Report) contains elementary-level human anatomy diagrams, which may be printed out and labeled for practice. The diagrams come with a word bank, complete with definitions printed on the same page. Many of the diagrams lend themselves to coloring-in. A number of diagrams are available, including the human eye, ear, brain, skeleton, teeth, and more.
• The Human Gene Mutation Database - The Human Gene Mutation Database from the Institute of Medical Genetics at Cardiff provides practical information for researchers, physicians, and genetic counselors.
• Human Genome Central - Ensembl, a collaborative initiative of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)/ European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) and the Sanger Centre, offers this master Website featuring links to the most useful Internet resources on the Human Genome Sequence.
• Human Genome Project Information - The U.S. Human Genome Project (HGP), composed of the DOE and NIH Human Genome Programs, is the national coordinated effort to characterize all human genetic material by determining the complete sequence of the DNA in the human genome. The HGP's ultimate goal is to discover all the more than 80,000 human genes and render them accessible for further biological study.
• i-medicine.info: Diseases Database - From i-medicine.info, the Diseases Database provides a useful reference service for medical practitioners and researchers. The Database website offers a cross-referenced index and search portal that cover such topical areas as Symptoms and Signs, General Internal Medical Disorders, Drugs and Medications, Congenital and Inherited Disorders, and more.
• Insect Mouthparts - This Web site contains a pictorial guide to insect mouthparts.
• International Brain Research Organization - Founded in 1960, the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) is an international group "dedicated to the promotion of neuroscience and of communication between brain researchers in all countries of the world."
• International Cancer Research Portfolio - This Web site contains a database of cancer research funded by US and U. research organizations, including the US National Cancer Institute.
• The International Plant Names Index - The International Plant Names Index (IPNI) is a database of the names and associated basic bibliographical details of all seed plants. Its goal is to eliminate the need for repeated reference to primary sources for basic bibliographic information about plant names. The data are freely available and are gradually being standardized and checked. IPNI will be a dynamic resource, depending on direct contributions by all members of the botanical community.
• International Society of Arachnology: The Arachnology Home Page - Arachnids play a vital role in the web of life, yet many of us possess a limited knowledge of this amazing class of animals.
• International Symbiosis Society - The International Symbiosis Society (ISS) "is primarily involved with the promotion of research and education in the growing field of symbiosis. The Society seeks also to build ongoing and useful communication between the many researchers working in the various sub-fields of symbiosis, as well as connect symbiologists to those in other areas of ecology and biological sciences generally."
• USFWS: Introduction to Bats - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's website on Bats provides educational information about this commonly misunderstood animal.
• Iowa Herpetology - This site is designed to introduce you to the herpetology of Iowa. It includes photos of each species described, and encourages readers to submit reports of reptile and amphibian sitings in the state.
• Journal of Biology - This new online journal published by BioMed Central is a free publication of "research articles of exceptional interest, with associated commentary." Articles and commentaries can be viewed by abstract, full text, or in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format for printing. Current and back issues will be available for browsing, and the search function allows users to search not only this journal, but also the entire BioMed Central and PubMed collections.
• Journey North - a global study of wildlife migration.
• Kids Genetics - Drug company GlaxoSmithKline offers this online genetics tutorial designed for kids. The tutorial presents lessons on DNA, genes, heredity, genetic susceptibility to disease, and the role of genetic markers in predetermining risk of disease and medicinal response. Each subject page includes a description of the topic, plus loads of interactive educational games and activities.
• Kimball's Biology Pages - John Kimball, retired professor of biology, created this online biology textbook as an alternative to the static and linear nature of printed texts. In addition to adding updated material to the already extensive library of pages, this Web site now includes a number of search options for quickly finding pages of interest, and also offers short news blurbs with links to relevant pages.
• Leaf Identification - This straightforward tutorial on leaf identification comes from the Department of Horticulture at Penn State University. Simple diagrams, helpful photos, and clear explanations make short work of learning the basics of leaf identification.
• Life And Medical Sciences Online - LAMSO is a journal for all fields of life and medical sciences. It is available to everyone. There are no subscription rates either for individuals or for institutions.
• List of World Bumble Bees - Provided by the London Museum of Natural History, this site indexes the bumblebees (genus _Bombus_) of the world.
• The Living Skeleton: A Tour of Human Bones - Access Excellence at the National Health Museum provides this Web site as an educational tool for learning about the human body. X-ray images and bone photos of the human skeleton are organized into eight body area categories, viewable with or without explanatory labels. Both normal bones and those having fractures or other medical conditions are included, along with links to explanations of some of the conditions.
• A Look Inside The Human Body Website - Australian educator Andrew McGann created this excellent human anatomy website to help children learn about different functions of the human body.
• Madagascar: Biodiversity and Conservation - Learn why Madagascar is such a special place. Visit this simple, yet informative site that hosts terrific photos of the diverse and amazing plant and animal life on Madagascar!
• Medical Mysteries - Rice University presents Medical Mysteries (or MedMyst for short) "an Internet-based adventure...in which you are on a mission to discover the causes of diseases." Designed for middle and high school students, MedMyst offers an engaging, multimedia approach to learning about infectious diseases and the immune system, as well as pharmacology, chemistry, public health policy, and more.
• Medical News Today - This website presents Medical News Today, an organization based in the United Kingdom, aimed at providing "the latest news headlines from the world of medicine and healthcare today and every day."
• MicroAngela's Electron Microscope Image Gallery - This site is a collection of beautiful electron microscope images of insects, parasites, cells, pollen, and more. They have been colorized to enhance your viewing pleasure.
• MicrobeLibrary.org - This site, provided by the American Society for Microbiology, showcases a searchable database of over 150 images of microbes.
• Microbes.info - The Microbiology Information Portal - Microbes.info is a Web site designed to provide useful and interesting microbiology informational resources.
• Microscopy and Imaging Resources on the WWW - lists a variety of microscopy-related links that are categorized into beginning and advanced topics.
• Mind Over Matter - This Web site from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institutes of Health focuses on the brain's response to drugs. Students navigate through a series of colorful and informative pages that describe certain regions of the brain and how the chemicals in drugs like marijuana, stimulants, hallucinogens, inhalants, opiates, and steroids can harm them. To aid teachers with the brain anatomy and function, a helpful teacher's guide accompanies the site, as well as more detailed information on the drug effects.
• Muscle Physiology - The Muscle Physiology Lab at the University of California-San Diego provides this comprehensive source of information on the neuromuscular system. The Web site appears as a extensive menu of subtopics, each leading to pages of detailed text and diagrams. Students studying muscle structure and function should find this well-organized and authoritative resource extremely useful.
• MushroomExpert.Com - Developed by amateur mycologist Dr. Michael Kuo with contributions from amateur and professional mycologists, MushroomExpert.Com is an excellent resource for a wide variety of mushroom enthusiasts.
• The Museum of Bacteria - The Museum of Bacteria serves as a clearinghouse of Web links on bacteria and bacteriology and also provides "crystal-clear information about many aspects of bacteria."
• The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices - Featuring items on loan from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the American Medical Association, and others, the Minneapolis-based Museum of Questionable Medical Devices is an interesting resource about the history of medicine.
• MyNaturePhotos.com - Nature lovers and photographers are invited to upload and share their favorite wildlife photos in this straightforward, privately hosted Web site, a place where "viewers from around the world can see what animals, plants, and landscapes look like in other places."
• National Environmental Education & Training Foundation
• The Natural Inquirer - The Natural Inquirer offers a fun way to learn about the research conducted by scientists with the USDA Forest Service. Online since 1998, The Natural Inquirer is written with middle school students in mind.
• Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory - conducts multi-disciplinary research in ecosystem science, with the purpose of improving knowledge of "the complex interactions between humans, management activities, and ecosystems."
• Neuroscience Tutorial - The Washington University School of Medicine provides this impressive, illustrated tutorial on clinical neuroscience, offered in conjunction with the University's first-year course for medical students.
• North American Association for Environmental Education - The importance and popularity of environmental education has grown steadily over the past few decades. Since 1971, the North American Association for Environmental Education has worked to bolster this movement through a variety of activities, programs, and other services. One of these services is the NAAEE website, which contains a bounty of information and resources for environmental educators.
• Nutrition for Kids - A ThinkQuest international competition winner, Nutrition for Kids was created by a team of three fifth grade students to educate children about good nutrition.
• Ology - This Web site from the American Museum of Natural History is a site for kids that focuses on three different Ologies -- genetics, astronomy, and paleontology. The site is full of interesting science facts, games, and activities. It offers a lot for kids to learn, and the format is appealing and interactive. Adult and kid scientists share their interests in these topics in the Meet the Ologists section, and users that are really interested can register and create their own Ology page.
• Open Heart - This Web site from the Columbus Medical Association Foundation provides a number of hands-on activities for visitors to "learn how the heart works, how the heart gets into trouble, what can be done to rescue it, and what you can do to keep your heart healthy." This is a robust site that is easy to navigate, and the interactive nature is attention grabbing.
• Optical Illusions & Visual Phenomena - Have you ever wondered how different optical illusions work? This fun, informative, and very cool website developed by ophthalmologist Dr. Michael Bach of the University of Freiburg's Medical School introduces 48 interactive visual illusions and phenomena. The illusions are animated and accompanied by explanations that help visitors make sense of their perceptual responses.
• Ornithology: the Science of Birds - This extensive ornithology website was created by Dr. Roger Lederer, a veteran ornithologist and professor of Biological Sciences at California State University, Chico. Dr. Lederer’s site is a well-organized portal to a plethora of bird information websites in such areas as Migration; Birds in the Backyard; Raptors; Feeding Birds; Teacher Resources; Songs and Calls, and more. The website also links to information, images, and checklists for birds in many regions of the world including Central America, Indonesia, Antarctica, the United States, and Africa. In addition, site visitors will find brief lectures from Dr. Lederer regarding Feathers, Flight, Reproduction, and Metabolism, to name a few. The site also contains a brief section about ornithology careers, and links to bird news, beautiful bird photos, and birding forums.
• Owling.com - This excellent web resource developed by owl enthusiast Dan Lockshaw "is dedicated to the enjoyment, identification, and preservation of the North and Central American owls."
• The Paleobiology Database - Intended as a public resource for scientists around the world, the Paleobiology Database "has been organized and operated by a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, international group of paleobiological researchers. Its purpose is to provide global, collection-based occurrence and taxonomic data for marine and terrestrial animal and plants of any geologic age, as well as Web-based software for statistical analysis of the data." Site visitors can search for Fossil Collection Records, Taxa Classifications, Taxa, and Published References.
• Palynology - This excellent Website from the University of Arizona focuses on the branch of science known as palynology, in which researchers study the microscopic remains of plants and organisms to reconstruct ecological conditions of the past.
• Penguin Pages - This outstanding, comprehensive website was created by two amateur British penguinologists who have a longstanding interest in penguins and have seen all 17 species in the wild.
• Pharmacist.com - Pharmacist.com is an information resource project developed jointly by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and the American Pharmacists Association. The website is designed to support pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy students by providing useful information and professional development resources.
• What is Photosynthesis? - The Center for the Study of Early Events in Photosynthesis (Arizona State University) maintains this exceptional metapage on photosynthesis. The page lists dozens of Websites, with brief descriptions of each site's contents as well as the target level of the information (middle school through undergraduate).
• Plant Hormones - Long Ashton Research Station -- part of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (UK) -- will close in March 2003, but its online resource Plant-Hormones will continue to provide general information and references on gibberellins, auxins, cytokinins, and other hormone groups.
• Plant Physiology Information Website - This extensive Plant Physiology Information Website was created by Ross E. Koning, professor of biology at Eastern Connecticut State University.
• Plants Database
• Plants in Motion - 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.
• Population Connection: Population Education - Population Connection "is the national grassroots population organization that educates young people and advocates progressive action to stabilize world population at a level that can be sustained by Earth's resources." The Population Connection's Education Program develops "age-appropriate curricula to complement students' science and social science instruction about human population trends and their impacts on natural resources, environmental quality and human well-being."
• Quantitative Population Ecology - Dr. Alexei Sharov of the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech has put together this excellent teaching resource on quantitative population ecology. The online resource contains thirteen lecture handouts and eight labs, targeting beginning graduate or advanced undergraduate students; the course requires a basic understanding of statistics and ecology.
• Pronunciation of Biological Latin
• Rainforests of the Americas - Highlights include Medicines from the Rainforest, Legacy of the Maya, Threats to Rainforests, Butterfly Gardening and Fun & Games.
• Salmon: Spirit of Land and Sea - Join an expedition to the coastal waters of Alaska and British Columbia and learn why salmon is vitally important to the ecosystem there. This site is rich with multimedia elements. You will need the Flash 5 Player, and either the Quicktime or the RealPlayer to view the highband version of this site (you won't need these for the lowband version that is available).
• Sea and Sky: The Ocean Realm - The Ocean Realm is part of Sea and Sky, an award-winning, nonprofit website created by J.D. Knight, an Orlando-based Web designer, amateur astronomer, and marine aquarium hobbyist. The Ocean Realm offers two features: Reef Life, a presentation of animals who inhabit corral reefs; and Monsters of the Deep, an exploration of animals found in deep zones of the ocean.
• Seeing, Hearing, and Smelling the World - From the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, this site explains how the brain sees, hears, and smells.
• Sighting the First Sense - Great site! Worth Seeing! Learn about vision through interactive demonstrations, illustrations, and photos. You will need the free Flash player to view some elements of this site.
• The eSkeletons Project - This project from the University of Texas at Austin is an interactive approach to learning anatomy. Users choose either to view human, baboon, or gorilla skeletons to learn about individual bones, or compare the anatomy between species. Bones can be rotated and viewed from different angles, along with various "'overlays' depicting major muscle origins and insertions as well as articulations and morphological features." Additional three-dimensional features can be viewed with Quicktime and VRML plug-ins that can be downloaded from the site.
• Society for Cryobiology - The Society for Cryobiology is an international, research-oriented organization that “was founded in 1964 to bring together those from the biological, medical and physical sciences who have a common interest in the effect of low temperatures on biological systems.”
• The Society for General Microbiology - The homepage of the Society for General Microbiology (SGM) is worth a visit just for its great design, as one might expect from an organization created "to advance the art and science of microbiology."
• Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles - Established in 1958, the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR) "is the largest international herpetological society, and is recognized worldwide for having the most diverse program of publications, meetings, and other activities."
• Space for Species - "Developed by the Canadian Space Agency, the Canadian Wildlife Federation, The Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, and the Canadian Wildlife Service's," Space for Species is a colorful and highly interactive Web site that invites young people to investigate the contributions that satellite telemetry, remote sensing, astronaut observations, and weather satellites make to wildlife conservation. Users can track the real time movements of migratory animals such as polar bears and leatherback turtles, monitor climate and habitat conditions, evaluate threats to wildlife along migration routes, download a tracking journal for observations, and much more.
• The Stem Cell Debate - Watch an animated presentation that explains the science of stem cell research and watch videos that delineate the issues, the science, and the politics involved in this debate. You will need the Flash and Quicktime plug-ins for the interactive portions of this site.
• Switcheroo Zoo - 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."
• TreeGuide: The Natural History of Trees - The TreeGuide presents the natural history of trees in database format. The database includes information about the identification, ecology, life history, distribution and utilization of trees.
• Tropical Fruits - This website showcasing Tropical Fruits was created by Marilyn Rittenhouse Harris a tropical fruit aficionado, cookbook author, and longtime resident of Hawaii.
• University of Iowa-Virtual Hospital: The Road To Becoming A Physician - Hosted by the Virtual Hospital, this online brochure about the medical training and education process was developed by the University of Iowa Health Science Relations and the Iowa Medical Society. The brochure would likely be quite useful to high school students and career counselors as it provides an introduction to medical school, different types of physicians, selected medical specialties, and medical school curriculum. The brochure also touches on the role of patients, the Hippocratic Oath, graduate medical programs, continuing education for physicians, and residency. Site visitors are provided instructions for requesting a printed copy of the brochure as well.
• U.S. Forest Service Conservation Education
• US Food and Drug Administration: Help For Students Writing A School Report - This FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition website offers students links to food-related aids for writing school reports. Students can access information about the 1906 Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act; foodborne pathogens; food safety careers; requesting records and information from the FDA; and more.
• UWRF Biotechnology Workshop - Classroom Activities
• Virtual Frog Dissection - just as the name implies!
• Virtual Hospital - The University of Iowa provides Virtual Hospital as a "useful medical reference and health promotion tool" for both health care professionals and patients. Users have access to hundreds of authoritative sources of medical information. Easy to navigate, the site organizes information in a variety of ways; users can browse by medical problem, organ system, or hospital department. Even though information is further separated for health care providers and patients, there are no access restrictions.
• Virtual Labs - These virtual labs from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute allow students to experience laboratory procedures as if they were a professional scientist. Students can isolate and analyze bacterial DNA sequences, examine cardiac patients, dissect a leech, or diagnose diseases by detecting the presence of antibodies. These virtual labs include animated steps that must be performed, along with textual instructions and explanations so that students understand not only what they are doing, but also why they are doing it.
• Virtual Tour of the Ear - Created by Perry C. Hanavan of Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Virtual Tour of the Ear offers a comprehensive collection of links to ear-related Web pages (mostly from university Web sites). Each link relates to some aspect of the hearing mechanism, and may include text descriptions, tutorials, photos, and/or diagrams.
• Visible Human Server - This Web site from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology allows users to view three dimensional models of human anatomy. A free registration allows users to log on and fully access the site, but there are some sample demonstrations available without registration. When visiting the site, you can view, rotate, and extract cross sections from the anatomical models, or build your own anatomic model by choosing the structures of interest.
• Guided Tour of the Visible Human - The MadSci Network, offered through Washington University Medical School in St. Louis, offers a fascinating tour of the human body using digitized images generated by the National Library of Medicine's Visible Human Project.
• Webvision: Organization of the Retina and Visual System - Offered through the John Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah, this Web site aims to "summarize the recent advances in knowledge and understanding of the mammalian retina." The Web site is arranged simply in a book-like fashion with chapters headings leading to well-referenced text and illustrations.
• The Whole Brain Atlas - The Whole Brain Atlas is "an information resource for central nervous system imaging," sponsored by the Departments of Radiology and Neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, the Countway Library of Medicine, and the American Academy of Neurology. The images are arranged in cases, by series that show normal aging, or in progressive stages of various brain diseases. The cases can be selected and navigated from the home page or through the Java-based Atlas Navigator.
• The Y Chromosome - The journal Nature presents this online special feature on the recently sequenced Y chromosome.
• Zoological Record - This resource guide is intended to provide a starting point for finding zoology related information on the internet.