Siphonophore Affiliates

They are the longest organisms in the world, up to 140 feet from end to end. Their outer coating is thin, gelatinous, and usually clear. Deep-water specimens have brilliant orange or red digestive systems readily viewed through their transparent tissues. Sound like anything you've ever heard of? As a matter of fact, you probably have, but may not recognize them by sight. The Portuguese man o' war, for example, is 1 of the 175 species of this fascinating group of marine organisms known as the siphonophores. Related to, but not the same as the true jellyfish, the siphonophores are the featured attraction at one incredibly beautiful web site, created and maintained by Casey Dunn. Here, visitors can learn everything from basic siphonophore biology to how best to collect them intact.

[www.siphonophores.org]

Also known as the Portuguese man o' war, this siphonophore lives at the surface of the ocean and has a sail that catches the wind for propulsion. (Click to enlarge)

Garden a Grow-grow

Born out of a desire to redefine gardeners' relationships to plants, You Grow Girl “speaks to a new kind of gardener” and isn't just aimed at women. Gayla Trail is the creative force behind the site, which can be described as two parts blog, one part diary, three parts information, and a pinch of beauty. The editorial focus is to encourage gardeners to plant, plant, plant, and judging by the active discussions in the forum section, it is very effective. The site is abounding with useful content which helps windowsill planters as well as green thumbs, with its tips and insights. Looking for a way to keep tomato plants disease-free? Try milk. Searching for other eclectic gardening ideas? Try You Grow Girl.

[www.yougrowgirl.com]

Doctors without Boxers

Take a group of physicians and researchers from Cambridge University, have them “strip down science to its bare essentials” and then broadcast the proceedings to six million listeners on the radio (in England) or on the Web (for the rest of the world) and you've got The Naked Scientists, a site whose attention-catching name is surpassed by the content it contains. Articles, podcasts, experiments, and a Q&A section allow The Naked Scientists to “pull the fig leaves” from many areas of science. From Naked Archeology to Naked Astronomy to an educational collection of hip answers to reader-submitted questions, this is a place with something for everyone.

[www.thenakedscientists.com]

The Better to Kill You with

The word ‘carcinogen’ strikes fear into the hearts of almost all of us, and with good reason. However, the ability of chemicals to induce the formation of tumors varies considerably. Helping everyone keep track of over 6500 long-term animal cancer tests on 1547 chemicals is the Carcinogenic Potency Database (CPDB), an effort coordinated by Dr. Lois Gold at University of California, Berkeley. Organizing such a large collection of data is no small task, but CPDB manages it well, employing 12 different summary schemes. Each chemical gets its own Web page and users can alternatively view them by structure, dosing, target site, and methods employed to study. Formats include PDF, Excel, and RTF, simplifying the access and storage of desired information.

[http://potency.berkeley.edu]

Heartland Security

If we consider people under 20 as the iPod squad, then a case can surely be made for referring to those over 50 as the statin generation, due to the widespread use of those “miracle” drugs to control cholesterol levels as we age. Statins, like any medication, should be considered only after alternative measures are shown to be ineffective. Fortunately, at lipid-clinic.com, visitors can read up on those alternatives and the positive (or negative) effects they can have on heart health and cardiovascular disease. We all know the effects of LDLs on cholesterol management, but lesser known and equally important factors such as homocysteine and C-reactive protein get good coverage too. The site offers a well-rounded, informative look at lipids in our lives.

[www.lipid-clinic.com/lipids.html]

Periodic Tablet

Once upon a time, chemists and other scientists kept in touch with each other primarily by attending annual meetings or reading each other's papers in journals. Electronic communication, of course, has changed all of that for the better and a great demonstration of it is on view at the Chemistry Blog, where contributors can share ideas, experiences, or just blow off some steam. Postings on the site occur regularly and the free-form writing style encourages participation. A particularly exciting initiative reported at press time was the ChemWiki effort to create an online, open source organic chemistry textbook to beat the high costs of books for students. The Chemistry Blog has a slick collection of YouTube videos demonstrating the Periodic Table, as well as a bounty of writings that are sometimes provocative and almost always interesting.

[www.chemistry-blog.com]