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Biology
Access Excellence - This site is renowned for its design, content, and collaborative activities. Focusing on the biological sciences, the activities collection is truly excellent. Online "seminars" put you in touch with scientists and science teachers. Offerings include "Local Habitats," "Science of Amber," and "Emerging Diseases." Collaborative classroom projects like "Acid Rain/Acid Snow" build enthusiasm as distant classrooms share data and results with each other.
BBC Medicine Through Time - The Medicine Trough Time web site is a fun and informative resource for everyone. Choose a time period and theme to begin or make a selection from a highlighted section.
Beginner's Guide to Molecular Biology - This site features the basics of cell structure, complete with colorful drawings and photographs. You'll learn about not only the parts of a cell but also their functions and chemistry.
Biological Timing Online Science Experiment - Did you ever hear of a biological clock? That's what helps you go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning. At this site there's a fascinating article called The Mystery of Sleepy Adolescents. Do you have trouble waking up for school? You're not alone. These kids decided to investigate the whole problem. This is their Web page about biological clocks, circadian rhythms, and how plants and animals tell time.
Biology Labs On-Line - A series of interactive, inquiry-based biology simulations and exercises designed for college and AP high school biology majors.
Bioluminescence Web Page - We're going to give this page a glowing report. Bioluminescence is a chemical light that is produced by fireflies, fish, and even fungus! This site is concerned with the mechanism of how this light is produced. It offers wonderful photos and explains why most bioluminescent deep-sea organisms flash blue lights more than any other color.
Bioluminescent Bay -- Vieques Island - One of the natural wonders of the world is "Bio Bay,"home to the magical glowing waters. Actually, it's not much of a mystery: each gallon of bay water contains up to 720,000 nontoxic dinoflagellates. When they are disturbed--by a boat paddle, or a hand in the water--they emit a soft eerie blue light, like a firefly. People come from all over the world to witness this phenomenom. Unfortunately, the bay is threatened by pollution and other development. Find out how you can help!
Can You Put a Skeleton Back Together? - OK, you know the skull goes at the top and the feet go at the bottom--but can you put the rest of Mr. Bones' skeleton back together? If you get the piece in the right area, you'll hear a click, and it will lock in place and stick. If you get everything correct, you'll get a surprise. Otherwise, the skeleton will collapse, and you can try again.
Fun with Lichens - Lichens are a combination of a fungus and an alga that combine to form a unique third type of organism. You see lichens growing on rocks, on trees--pretty much everywhere. The lichen needs sunlight in order to manufacture food for itself, and they won't grow where the air pollution is bad. There are lots of useful things to know about lichens, including the fact that they are used to make medicine and dye wool. Some of them grow only a teeny bit each year. At this site you'll learn all about lichens and their diversity around the world.
Human Anatomy On-line - InnerBody.com - Click on Animations and choose from the list provided to start the fun. Warning: These take a long time to load. See a cutaway view of a mouth and throat as a pizza is eaten and swallowed. See blood pumping through the various chambers of the heart. See sound hitting the eardrum and the adjacent structures. You'll find a human anatomy tutorial here, but it's not written in simple language, so you may be more interested in looking at all the cool diagrams.
Human Body "Blending in but Staying Special" - This wonderful site covers an unusual topic for children: human organ donation. Find out about body systems: skeletal, muscular, nervous, digestive, circulatory, respiratory, and urinary. Sometimes the organs supporting these systems aren't quite right. They may have failed due to injury, disease, or other causes. Sometimes the only thing that will help is a transplant of another organ. These donated hearts, lungs, and other organs come from people who have recently died. It is sometimes very hard for families to decide to donate the organs of their loved ones, but they are often comforted by the fact that their generosity may help to save another person's life. Learn about the new kidney for a third-grade teacher and the gift of life bestowed on others by the school's speech therapist after the tragic death of her step-son. This site was created by students for the ThinkQuest Junior competition.
Infection, Detection, Protection - Meet the microbes! They are everywhere, and they are among the oldest life-forms on Earth. At this site you'll learn about bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. Some of these can cause diseases, but over 95 percent of them are harmless. Use the Size-o-Meter to get a sense of how small these critters actually are, and then go on a microbe quest in the cafeteria and try to solve the microbe riddle. Learn how Lou got the flu, and try playing detective in the Case of the Mixed-Up Microbes.
Interactive Genetics - Learn about genetics using cute little virtual mice! This simulation requires Shockwave. First you'll have to answer some questions about statistics and probability, but don't worry, there's a cool little tutorial that will have you flipping virtual coins in no time. When you think you know a gene from a chromosome, just enter the Simple Mouse House and breed some critters. When you've got that one figured out, move on to the trickier Advanced Mouse House. Can you discover how to make a pink-eyed black mouse?
Mysteries of Genetics - Explore the inside of a cell, and then learn about more than 100 years of history in genetics research. Some diseases are genetically linked, and you can read about cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease, and hemophilia, among others. Check out various topics in genetic engineering. Are those engineered tomatoes safe to eat? Not always--discover why at this site. This site was created by students for the ThinkQuest competition.
Science Lessons by Subject - These experiments cover astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, physical science, and technology. In the latter category kids can conduct research on inline skates vs. roller skates, learn to build a solar hot-dog cooker, and check out many other suggestions. You can also choose to view projects by age group rather than by subject.
The Heart: An Online Exploration - Probably the only time you think about your heart is when you run fast and you feel it beating in your chest. Or maybe you think about your heart when you put your hand over it and you feel it go thump, thump. Even if you don't think much about your heart, everybody knows the heart is important. After all, without hearts, what shape would valentines be? To learn all kinds of cool things about the heart, check out the Franklin Institute's info. You'll never take your heart for granted again!
The Hidden Killers: Deadly Viruses - Theng screen to this site is pretty gross, but click on Enter and you'll discover information on virus basics. There are also profiles of the best-known viruses and some reassuring words about the defenses we have against some of them. On the other hand, there is also some frightening commentary about those that we don't know how to kill. There's also an interesting section on the military uses of viruses in biological warfare. You'll want to wash your hands well after leaving this site.
The Mysteries of Genetics - Explore the inside of a cell, and then learn about more than 100 years of history in genetics research. Some diseases are genetically linked, and you can read about cystic fibrosis, Huntington¹s disease, and hemophilia, among others. Check out various topics in genetic engineering. Are those engineered tomatoes safe to eat? Not always--discover why at this site. This site was created by students for the ThinkQuest competition.
VA Image Browser - Did you ever wonder what your body would look like with transparent skin? Did you ever wonder what your heart looks like while it's beating inside your chest? You don't have to wonder any longer! At this site, you can see images (including moving pictures) of these and many other parts of the human body.
Virtual Flylab - Have you heard someone say "he has his father's eyes" or "his mother's smile"? That's because a child is made from genetic instructions contributed by each parent. They combine in different ways, so you'll notice people in the same family look similar to each other but not exactly the same--well, unless they are twins. Confused yet? This science is called genetics, and scientists learned a lot about its rules by studying fruit flies and their offspring (that's their kids). We know it sounds weird. You can try it yourself here. What happens when you mate a purple-eyed fruit fly to one with fluffy wings?
You Can with Beakman and Jax - Put on your thinking cap and visit this site. Discover the answers to important questions, like "What are fingernails made of?" and "Why do I hear weird sounds at night?" There are some neat animations, too. For example, check out "How the Internet Works."
Your Gross and Cool Body - Everything you've ever wondered about the science of sweat, pimples, burps, ear wax, and unseemly bodily noises is here. There are even audio recordings of stuff like a stomach growling--but it's not the real thing, and you get to guess what they used to make the sounds. It's not really disgusting, but it is gross, so if you're over 13 or so, don't even think of visiting this site! Those that do will learn a lot about digestion, the circulatory system, and other things about the human body and its mysteries.
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