These links are privided as starting points for searching for information. They are not comprehensive, but should serve as a guide for getting into the vast amount of biology and related information that is available on the Internet. While some of the links are to sites targeted at professional biologists, we have tried to restrict the list to links that also have some useful information for students of high school biology.

General Biology

  • Carolina Biological, which includes access to Carolina Tips, some of which are also available at the Access Excellence site.

  • Tree of Life. Information about Phylogeny and Biodiversity.

The Tools of Biology

  • Microscopes and Microscopy. A central site for microscopy on the Internet. "Microscopes and Microscopy" recently achieved a major milestone: 100 Web sites are now in its index. (A Yahoo search in the same subject produces only 16.) Maintained by Chris Jeffries, these comprehensive and well-organized pages have listings of everything from ftp sites to mailing lists to conferences. There is also a section called "In-Focus" where you can read essays on tripod polishing, the history of microscopy, and other related topics.

  • Scanning Electron Microscope

Virtual laboratory Exercises

  • An online frog dissection tutorial brought to you by the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education. Intrepid visitors are invited to take scalpel (a.k.a. mouse) in hand for some major surgery. Just don't expect a quick slice and dice; the heavy use of graphics and MPEGs makes for slow going unless you have an incredible amount of RAM. Topics covered by the dissection include muscle incision, skin incision, and internal organs.

  • Virtual frog dissection kit. Interactive dissection of a frog which includes a tutorial and an overview.

  • Virtual FlyLab. Budding research geneticists and mad scientists will be equally drawn to this site, which allows users to virtually "breed" fruit flies in search of the secrets of genetic inheritance. The FlyLab is well documented and illustrated, making it a pleasure to use for those who aren't squeamish about drawings of forked fruit fly bristles. This "virtual application" was designed by the Electronic Desktop Project at California State University, Los Angeles.

  • The Virtual Embryo.

  • The Lung Tour. LungTour is a set of images of the lung made with the Scanning Electron Microscope and organized in hyperimage format to allow you to travel through and see in more and more detail the structure of the lung.

  • Cow Eye Dissection. The Cow's Eye Dissection is one of the most popular demonstrations at the Exploratorium. For many years it has helped people satisfy their curiosity about what is inside an eye. The material presented here is meant not to replace the act of dissecting a cow's eye, but rather to enhance the experience.

Biotechnology, Molecular Biology and Chemistry of life

  • Blazing a Genetic trail This wonderfully illustrated book takes you on the search for mutant genes that cause the 4,000 hereditary disorders affecting humans. The Web version is free for all to read online. Presented by The Howard Hughes Institute of Medicine

  • Microbiology at the University of Cape Town has lots of introdutory-level information on viruses, and good information on current microbes in the news (e.g. Ebola, Mad Cow Disease). Their site is dynamic and well worth visiting.

  • Nanoworld. Images magnified thousands of times by electron microscopes, light microscopes, and x-ray diffraction equipment.

  • Amino Acids. A database of descriptions on all amino acids and their 3D pictures.

  • Biotech. Very comprehensive guide to biotechnology and genetics. Includes many images of molecular genetics related material including some that are useful in teaching.

  • A Primer on Molecular Genetics. Mostly textual guide and wide-scope guide to molecular genetics. Few images.

  • GenLink. A detailed description of all the human chromosomes, including the mapped genes. Contains images of them as well. Allows to view a section of a selected chromosome and a 2D map. Includes a list of K-12 science education links.

  • The Biotechnology Public Education Program.

  • The Biotechnology Information Center, at the US National Agricultural Library.

Evolution

Ecology and Environment

  • Science and the Environment. Topics range from "Health, population and agriculture" to "Marine ecology".

  • Enviro Facts. Information on all things natural. We have facts for you on plants and animals, whether they be terrestrial or marine. Environmental issues such as pollution, acid rain, etc are also included.

  • EnviroLink. Lots of current information on the environment and endangered species. EnviroLink is a non-profit organization...a grassroots online community that unites hundreds of organizations and volunteers around the world with millions of people in over 130 countries. EnviroLink are dedicated to providing you with the most comprehensive, up-to-date environmental resources available.

  • EcoNet. Information on ecology and environmental preservation.

  • EE-Link. Educators explore the environment and investigate current issues with students.

  • EnviroLink Network. The ELN will act as the clearinghouse for environmental education information, materials and ideas on the Internet. Very good links to many topics for both teachers and students.

  • EnviroNet Monitoring Projects '95-'96. Listed here is a wide variety of environmental monitoring projects taking place during the 1995-96 school year. Timetables and short descriptions are given for each project, along with contact information.

  • African Wildlife . A virtual encyclopedia dedicated to the sharing of information about the fantastic world of African Wildlife.

  • National Wildlife Federation. A large member-supported conservation group, uniting individuals, organizations, businesses and government to protect nature, wildlife and the world we share. (particularly good is the "In the Classroom" section).

  • Environmental Projects . A project is guided self-study which encourages independent enquiry.

  • Climate Change: South Africa. The effects of climate change on the environment, particularly in South Africa, is discussed in this site from the The World Wide Fund for Nature .

  • The Globe Program . Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) is a worldwide network of students, teachers, and scientists working together to study and understand the global environment.

  • NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Promoting global environmental stewardship in order to conserve and wisely manage marine and coastal resources

  • Global Warming. Plenty of information on this topic.

  • Earthquakes vs. Volcanoes. An Internet WebQuest on Earth Science 

Expeditions and Adventures

  • Mayaquest '98. "Mysteries of the Rainforest"

  • MayaQuest '97 . Lost Cities of the Rainforest.

  • Kilimanjaro Adventure Travel . African safari and adventure tours.

  • Terraquest. Adventures abound on the Web. You will find virtual tours and expeditions to the Antarctic and be able to sail in the wake of Charles Darwin to the birthplace of the theory of evolution: the Galapogas Islands.

  • Netspedition Amazon. An interactive scientific expedition to the Amazon rainforest conducted entirely on the Internet through this Web site.

  • Project Central America . A trip to Central America by a group of teachers created a real-time learning experience for students. Their journal entries, geological information, and images will capture your thoughts and imagination.

Viruses and Bacteria

Human Biology and Medicine

  • The Whole Brain Atlas. This is one of those science sites that even the most unscientific person can look at and go "ooooh!". The Whole Brain Atlas is made up of magnetic resonance (MR), x-ray computed tomography (CT), and nuclear medicine images of the brain under different conditions, from normal to AIDS dementia. All images are horizontal cross-sections; when you select a brain condition, you're presented with a page of images from each of the three types of scans. You can change the level of a cross-section by manipulating the Navigation bars that are at the bottom of each page

  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). This institution carries out biomedical research and helps educate tomorrow's scientists.

  • The Leonardo Project . A virtual trip inside the Human body.

  • 3D medical movies. Contains a collection of 3D movies of flying through human organs and scans, such as the skull, lungs, CT scan, etc.

  • The Heart. An interactive guide of the entire heart, from all aspects. A lot of multimedia is included - tons of images, movies, etc. There is also a mainly text version.

  • Medical Imaging. 1000's of Multimedia Images and over 700 Health Science related movies are represented.

  • Visible Human Project

  • Human Biology.

Essays and FAQs in Biology

  • Bugs in the News! Bugs in the News! actually has very little to do with bugs. Its creator, John C. Brown of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Kansas, doesn't even bother to tell you what the heck he means by the title. In his own buggy way, though, Brown provides thorough, well-written, and often cheeky essays answering, among other questions, "What the heck is an allergy?", "What the heck is an enzyme?", and "What the heck is an antibiotic?" Each of the "What the heck" essays are good, detailed introductions into their subject area.

  • The Why Files. Put some of today's news under the microscope find evidence of science at work. Find weekly stories, a teacher's and students forum and some cool images.

Online Journals and Magazines

Museums, Zoos & Botanical Gardens

Botany

  • Cyberbotanica. Information on plants and chemotherapy.

  • Ethnobotany . A resource from the "Access Excellence" group.

  • Plants for a Future. A Resource and Information Centre for Edible and other useful plants

  • Garden Encyclopedia. This searchable database contains almost 3,000 species selected for general use in North American horticultural practice. Link up with the "Virtual Garden"

  • The Carnivorous Plant FAQ . General information, growth and conservation on carnivorous plants.

Periodicals, Literature, Literature search, Document Delivery

  • Annual Reviews. Online contents and ordering information for the Annual Reviews series of journals.

Links to other Sites

  • WWW Virtual Library: Biosciences. A massive index to the bioscience resources of the Net, maintained by Keith Robison of the Harvard University Biological Laboratories. Subjects covered include biological molecules, biotechnology, genetics, immunology, plant biology, and many, many more.

  • Wits biology links page at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg, South Africa.

  • Kidsweb Biology and Life Sciences link page.

  • Biosciences page at Harvard

  • Biology index at Yahoo.