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Your broker and your local ecologist will agree on at least one thing—diversification of stocks is important for increasing performance of your investments. The wealth your ecologist speaks of, however, is the living stock composing ecosystems. Making this point clearly is the Diversitas web site, which notes that healthy ecosystems are essential for sustainable production. Focusing on the topics of biosustainability, ecoservices, and biodiscovery, Diversitas’ mission is to integrate scientific know-how to produce new socially relevant knowledge and provide a basis for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. If its detailed scientific plans on the topics above are any indication, Diversitas has the means and will to succeed.
@ www.diversitas-international.org
Witnessing Expert WitnessingTechnologies, such as DNA fingerprinting and other forensic detection methods have gained widespread use in courtrooms. Properly applied, using established principles of the laboratory and the chain of evidence, they afford tremendous ability to identify and bring to justice the perpetrators of crime. Misused, however, the techniques are as bad as, if not worse than, any other type of evidence. Providing an oversight over the entire issue of science in the courtroom is Scientific Testimony: An Online Journal. With topics that range from DNA testing problems to tutorials on gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS), this is a wide-ranging site with some important, if not scary, scenarios of real-world problems, mostly relating to DNA testing. A must read for anyone interested in the interface between technology and criminal justice.
Cells—Up Close and PersonalWith its very visual, interactive approach to cell biology education, the award winning Cells Alive! site dazzles visitors with microscopic images that make it clear this is isn't your father's cell biology site. Another set of web pages with a strong educational focus, Cells Alive! provides modules on cell biology, microbiology, immunology, and microscopy, as well as a complete set of interactive collections focusing mostly on cellular processes. In addition to the colorful artistic microscopic images, electron micrographs, and well-drawn figures, animations depict, for example, the view of a culture of bacteria being devastated by a bacteriophage. From one end to the other, Cells Alive! demonstrates the power of the image for educating people in science.
Bio-Edu-Animation
Have you ever wanted to take a journey through a cell? Using computer animation and knowledge of organellese and other cellular structures, it is possible, of course, and there are numerous such efforts to be found on the web. One that takes an educational approach is the Molecular and Cellular Biology Education (MCBE) site. Through its Virtual Cell and the Virtual Cell Animation Collection, visitors, students, and faculty can access educational tutorials, view informative figures, and watch intelligently designed animations. The most interactive module at the site is the “submarine” tool, which allows users to “fly,” pan, tilt, and walk through a virtual cell. Faculty interested in using material from the site for their classes must register (free), but anyone can play around with the images.
Across the BilayerWithout embedded protein molecules, the cell membrane wouldn't be anything more than a collection of phospholipids and sphingolipids surrounding an aqueous core. Worse, its impermeability to most foodstuffs would essentially keep cells from the energy sources they need to live. Fortunately, membrane proteins provide means of communication with the outside world and entry points for important molecules. Those polypeptide gatekeepers are the focus of the Membrane Protein Data Bank, maintained by Martin Caffrey at the University of Limerick. Database entries are accessed by entering a protein name or PDB ID. With over 700 unique records and 98 unique protein families, the Membrane Protein Data Bank is well stocked with information.
