A Web site from Michigan State University (1) is a useful starting point for learning about biologically inspired technologies. In addition to briefly discussing the natural processes that are most commonly studied in the development of such technologies, there is a large collection of links to other research efforts and related material. The Ant Colony Optimization project (2) uses the behavior...

Produced by Dr. Leif Saul, a biology teacher and Web site/ game developer, Biology in Motion has two new interactive education activities. Organize-It introduces an alternative way to test biological understanding by organizing concepts hierarchically. This exercise intends to "remedy some of the shortcomings of the traditional multiple-choice quiz." Users can choose self-tests from a variety of...

A solid collection of sites, links, and stand-alone resources, Biology Online seemingly offers all that is biology, at least online. It is an invaluable tool for anyone in need of reliable, authoritative information in the field. Links featured on the site are searchable alphabetically, by specific sub-discipline, or across all sites via Biology Online's search engine. Aside from its extensive and...

The California Academy of Sciences has an ambitious outreach program designed to provide information on its work to those interested in the sciences. This site contains three sections with videos, podcasts, interviews, and blog posts about the Academy's various projects. The sections include Science Heroes and Science Today, and the organization of the site makes it a snap to browse around. In the...

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...

Peter Ommundsen, instructor at Selkirk College (Canada), has put together these online resources targeting undergraduates. The resources give an overview, examples, exercises, and references in problem-based learning and critical thinking. The resources are concise and serve as helpful introductions to each topic.

Intended for elementary, middle, and high school students, this electronic estuary excursion, Estuary Live!!!, will take place May 8-12, 2000. Free to participants (but please sign up in advance), the field trip will explore the Rachel Carson Site of the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve, covering four islands and salt marshes off the North Carolina coast. The site features useful...

"To know a plant, grow a plant" is the motto of the Wisconsin Fast Plant Program, a science education outreach program from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Fast Plants are members of the mustard family bred specifically for use in the classroom -- small, easy to grow, affordable, and with an incredibly short life cycle of about 35-45 days. While the classroom activities provided in this Web...

In 2006, the Herpetological Conservation & Biology journal was started to offer a place for manuscripts in the field "that were descriptive or natural history oriented." This journal publishes original peer-reviewed research, reviews, and perspectives on the "ecology, natural history, management, and conservation biology of amphibians and reptiles." Recent articles have included "Population...

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has created this remarkable set of virtual laboratory activities for scholars of all ages. Designed as part of its BioInteractive series, the labs cover bacterial identification, cardiology, immunology, and even stickleback fish evolution. Each one of the labs has a tutorial, along with a set of activities designed to help scientists learn more about the...