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Think coral reefs, and you'll probably envision a tropical locale with warm, clear water. It may come as a surprise then that in the deep, cold floors of the ocean, far below the level that light penetrates, one can find ancient coral ecosystems. Brrr! How do they survive? That's only one of the dozens of questions answered at the informative and wide-ranging Lophelia.org site. With beautiful pictures of an otherwise unseen world and descriptions of the reproductive biology of corals, Lophelia has much to delight scientists and nonscientists alike. Visitors will also learn about threats to this watery world and the importance of preserving it. An inside look at an out-of-this-world site.
Missing LinkThe coelacanth, a fish thought to have gone extinct 65 million years ago, was “rediscovered” in 1938, and since that time it has been described both as a “fish out of time” and a missing link, the latter tag arising from unique “proto-leg” structures it possesses. The fish's strange appearance and disappearing acts aren't the only mysteries surrounding these living fossils. For example, there is the unusual behavior they have been observed to exhibit of standing on their heads, their method of locating prey fish by a rostral organ that acts as an electric field receptor, and the whereabouts of juvenile fish, which are almost never seen or caught. If you're awed by the odd, you'll enjoy the offerings at Dinofish.com.
The Bugs of SummerOutside of the entomological sphere, insects really aren't seen as objects of beauty, but the dragonfly is one notable exception. Perhaps the reason is at least partly because they conjure up memories of summertime picnics around lakes and, besides looking great, they don't really bother humans. These guys are more than just a bunch of pretty faces, though. If you consider the things dragonflies eat, a list that includes mosquitoes, gnats, flies, flying ants, and swarming termites, you may want to invite a few to your next picnic. At the Digital Dragonflies site, visitors will find not only pages overflowing with outstanding photos (this was the original mission of the site back in 1996), but also enough information about the four-winged fliers to satisfy a demanding entomologist.
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Aussie GenomicsHome to some of the most exotic animals on earth, due to its isolation from the Pangaean supercontinent in the mid-Cenozoic era (about 35 million years ago), Australia would seem to be a natural location to base genomic sequencing projects. So goes the argument from the Australian Genome Alliance (AGA), which recognizes that the country largely “missed the boat” on human genome sequencing and aims to correct that with several efforts to capture the genetic uniqueness of the continent. Proposed projects include the Coral Genome Project, the Eucalypt Genome Project, and the Wallaby Genome Project, among others. With support from the Australian Federal Government and the efforts of the AGA, you'll probably be hearing a lot about genomics from down under in the near future.
Cancer AnswersFor the patient who has just heard that six letter word no one wants coming from their doctor's lips, information is crucial. Cancer is terrifying not only because there are no cures, but also because the average person has virtually no understanding what all the disease entails. Aiming to fill the information void about this important problem is Insidecancer.org, with its multimedia online content that tackles the fear factor with well-written text, informative graphics, and video animations. Arming its users with information, as Insidecancer does, not only helps patients to conquer fear, it also gives hope to those who need it most.
