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SCIENCE,
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Science Reviews
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From the Earth to the Moon
HBO's miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon: America's Greatest Adventure"
blasts off April 5; this companion website presents the stories behind the Apollo
space program, from early U.S. space efforts to the final Apollo lunar mission
in 1972. The site brings users closer to the experiences of the astronauts with
photos, video clips, virtual reality simulations, interactive activities, a
kids' area, historical essays, interviews, inside reports from the TV production
team, games, bulletin boards, and more. Current features include a detailed
virtual reality re-creation of an Apollo mission, designed to scale and using
the real physics of space travel; an astronaut's-eye panoramic view from the
Kennedy Space Center in QuickTime VR; and a visit with executive producer Tom
Hanks, who shares boyhood memories of the first lunar landing. More features
will be added, including a complete guide to the miniseries with story lines,
cast, places and people. Visitors to the site can play a trivia game to win
a trip to the Kennedy Space Center and other prizes.
http://www.hbo.com/apollo
The Engaging Science Lesson Plan Exchange
This website offers a place for teachers to share their ideas for bringing good
science into K-7 classrooms. Here teachers will find an extensive collection
of science lesson plans and an invitation to submit their own plans; the best
ideas win an educational CD-ROM. There are listings here for many science events,
programs, and organizations; teacher training workshops (some free); science
classroom activity workbooks, kits, and videos; ideas for school websites and
online activities; and tips on using the Internet in the classroom. Teachers
can share ideas or questions in the discussion forum or learn what other teachers
are doing through interviews and Featured Teacher sites. One exciting activity
is "Life as an Avatar" - three-dimensional Web chats. The many science and education
links are categorized into general science and technology, Earth and space science,
and life sciences.
http://www.engagingscience.org
Electronics 2000
This extensive educational site provides "enlightened and practical information
about electronics and robotics." Here is plenty of advice for those who want
to learn about electronics, including recommendations of books, software, and
lab kits. The site's many articles begin with "What is electricity?", and go
on to discuss theoretical and practical aspects of basic electronics. Some subjects
covered are the structure of atoms, charge fundamentals, Coulomb's Law, units
of measurement, conductors, semiconductors, insulators, basic circuits, the
Wheatstone bridge, magnetism, transformers, terminals, resistors, capacitors,
key switches, transistors, integrated circuits, and digital display, plus concepts
in computing, communications, and ham radio. There are instructions for hobbyist
projects; some electronics quick facts; a "test your knowledge" section; and
a reference guide of signs, symbols, and subscripts. The website offers a free
search directory of reader-submitted sites called ElectronSurf, which is evolving
into a large website network dedicated to hobby-level electronics and robotics.
http://www.electronics2000.com
The Black Vault
The Black Vault has one of the largest online databases of government documents
about UFOs and the latest technology in military aviation. Users can view over
2500 scans here of actual documents supplied by the United States Government
in response to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act. In addition,
there are scans of the original requests and letters of correspondence pertaining
to each document, and details on how to file such a request. All of these scans
can be downloaded as .gif and .jpg images. Some of the pages have sections that
are blacked out. Other sections of the website cover viewing UFOs with JohnBro's
technique; military aircraft which might be the cause of UFO sightings; The
Matrix document, a 320+ page document on UFOlogy; the Project Aquarius document;
and pictures of UFOs. A section called The Galactic Chamber presents information
on space science and exploration. Interested visitors can communicate with others
via a discussion board and an online chat channel.
http://www.blackvault.com
Weather World
If you're planning a vacation and need to know about weather, check Weather
World to get current weather and 5-day forecasts for cities all over the world.
This site has complete, in-depth weather data, but at the same time it is one
of the easiest-to-use weather sites on the Internet for a quick forecast. There
are colorful graphics, educational features, discussions of interesting weather
phenomena, and links to over 380 weather sites. Get the latest forecasts, watches
and warnings, radar and satellite images, maps, computer models, tropical weather,
boat and beach reports, and skiing reports here. Visitors can post questions
or comments on the message board, join the Weather World Chat Room, watch a
movie about El Nino, and try out the latest weather software. The site also
has live weather cams, folklore and jokes, a weather glossary, and equations
for calculating the most common weather variables. Best of all, you can learn
how to predict the weather yourself, with step-by-step instructions!
http://members.aol.com/Accustiver/wxworld.html
The Crew of STS-86
This is not an official NASA website, but a site created by the STS-86 crew
in their personal time, to keep family, friends, and others posted on flight
preparations for Space Shuttle Mission STS-86. This mission, set to launch September
18, 1997, will feature an exciting Shuttle-Mir docking and a 5-hour spacewalk.
During the 10-day flight Astronaut Wendy Lawrence will be delivered to Mir,
to take over for the current NASA Mir resident, Astronaut Mike Foale. Here you
can see many photographs and drawings related to the mission, read about the
technology used, and learn all about what it takes to fly in space from the
international astronaut crew. Interested visitors can send in questions to be
answered by the crew. The site will be updated weekly throughout the course
of the training, and the crew will share their comments here after the mission
is completed.
Sea and Sky
Sea and Sky is an adventure into the world of the oceans and the world of outer
space. With color photos, crossword puzzles, games, and other interactive features,
these pages are both entertaining and educational to visitors of any age group.
A tour of the solar system shows color pictures of all the planets in their
proportional sizes. A beautiful section on coral reefs educates us about their
important place in the ecology of the ocean. A comprehensive collection of high-quality
links here invites us to explore further. The sea links cover a whole range
of marine life, including invertebrates, mammals, plants, and sea shells; marine
research and conservation; museums and aquariums; marine art and publications;
clubs and societies; and diving. Sky links include some of NASA's web pages,
plus other pages on space exploration; information on current space missions;
Hubble Telescope and other astronomy links; art and publications; Earth observation;
observatories and organizations; the question of life on Mars; and links about
ETs and UFOs.
http://www.seasky.org
Journal of Scientific Exploration
Journal of Scientific Exploration (JSE) provides a professional forum for unbiased
scientific research on topics which are ignored or studied inadequately within
mainstream science. Topics under investigation cover a wide spectrum including
UFOs, telepathy, psychokinesis, near-death experiences, dowsing, alternative
medicine, photographic anomalies on Mars, remote viewing, and more. The Journal
is published by the Society for Scientific Exploration, whose members are established
scientists and scholars, and includes peer-reviewed research articles, essays,
book reviews, columns, meeting abstracts, and news. The web page has sample
articles and links to related sites.
http://www.jse.com
Mr. Warner's Cool Science
This site has science lessons and experiments developed by a teacher at Frontier
Trail Junior High School in Olathe, Kansas, plus well-selected links to science
sites all over the Internet. The animated graphics make it fun for students
to use. One of the local pages at the site describes a project called Monarch
Watch, in which a class can study and photograph the life cycle and metamorphosis
of butterflies. Another is the Mystery Sounds Page, which has audio files of
sounds to identify. The many educational links include science museums, WWW
search engines, "Ask-A-Scientist" sites, and sites about life science, Earth
science, space science, chemistry, and famous scientists. There are also general
education and reference links, and other useful tools for teachers.
http://home.unicom.net/~warnerr/
The Particle Adventure
The Particle Adventure is an interactive tour of the inner workings of the atom,
for students of chemistry and physics, and anyone interested. The site has about
200 pages to explore, with student graphics, humor, animations, and a QuickTime
movie. This adventure tour tells about the matter of which the world is made
(quarks, leptons and force carriers) and how the world is held together (gravitational
force, strong force, weak force and electromagnetic force). Quizzes after each
section help students review, and classroom particle physics activities can
give a deeper understanding. The Particle Adventure introduces the theory of
fundamental particles and forces, called the Standard Model; it explores experiments
that provide evidence for the Standard Model, and explains why physicists want
to go beyond this theory. In addition, it provides information on why particles
decay, and the history of particle physics. The site is easy to read and navigate,
and contains links to additional particle physics sites.
http://pdg.lbl.gov/cpep/adventure.html
Dino Russ's Lair: The Earthnet Info Server
This site is a server for vertebrate paleontology and the earth sciences, with
a special emphasis on dinosaurs. Here is one of the largest categorized collections
of links related to geology and paleontology -- over one thousand earth and
geoscience links worldwide, including academic and commercial sites; museums;
periodicals and books; software sources; satellite images, digital data, and
remote sensing; newsgroups and mailing lists; societies, professional organizations,
and clubs. There are over 50 links on dinosaur and vertebrate paleontology,
with dinosaur images for downloading, exhibits, and latest discoveries. Find
out about dinosaur digs the public can join, and an expedition to excavate Jurassic
dinosaurs in Wyoming. Professionals, educators, and the general public will
find this site well worth visiting.
All the Virology on the WWW
This site is intended to provide both the professional virologist and the general
public with information about viruses. It contains thousands of links to virus
related information, and adds a good deal of content on its own. Through this
page you can access pictures and movies, electron micrographs and macromolecular
images, online courses about viruses, and a huge selection of virology and microbiology
books. There are also links to virology labs and departments, academic sites,
scientific societies, public health sites, government agencies, and newsgroups.
http://www.tulane.edu/~dmsander/garryfavweb.html
Museum of Science & Industry
This web page is the online home of the world-renowned Museum of Science and
Industry, Chicago, with information for visitors, online gift shops, and educational
resources for teachers. Visitors here can take an exciting historical tour of
a U-505 submarine, enjoy photos of Colleen Moore's magical Fairy Castle, or
look through a microscope to see AIDS: The War Within. Other online exhibits
are The Big Dig Construction Site, Fantastic Machines, Hatching Chicks, Animated
Industrial Gears, The Henry Crown Space Center Omnimax Theater, The Transportation
Zone, and Yesterday's Main Street.
http://www.msichicago.org
Eric's Treasure Trove Project
Eric Weisstein, a Ph.D. in planetary science, with an interest in physics, astronomy,
and math, has compiled extensive reference pages for math, physics, astronomy,
music, and scientific biography. The Math Treasure Trove is the most complete
one, and a Chemistry Treasure Trove is also in the works. The aim of this site
is to provide lucid explanations of topics in each field which make sense to
people who are interested but are not experts. The encyclopedias are continuously
being updated. Here are some examples of the many subjects discussed: Math --
Abel's Impossibility Theorem, bivariate distribution, Cantor's Paradox; Astronomy
-- helioseismology, Kuiper Belt, Wolf-Rayet star; Music -- Myxolydian mode,
Pythagorean Scale, superoctave; Physics -- inelastic neutron scattering, Galilean
transformations, Newtonian n-body problem. The site also has a booklist which
includes science, math, science fiction, folksongs and more.
http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~eww6n/math/math.html
Hawaii Biological Survey
Aloha and welcome to the Hawaii Biological Survey web pages! The Hawaii Biological
Survey was created to locate, identify, and evaluate all native and non-native
species of flora and fauna in these beautiful islands, then gather, analyze,
and disseminate the information necessary for the wise stewardship of Hawaii's
biological resources. Hawaii has approximately 12,000 terrestrial, 300 freshwater,
and 4,500 marine species of plants and animals. There are reports on current
and past research and color photos from the field. There are scientific publications,
including a study of the rare and threatened Hawaiian damselflies (of interest
to any student of ecology), and searchable animal and plant databases. The site
is sponsoring an educational interactive quiz for students of all ages on alien
species (a major problem on islands all over the world) and another quiz on
endangered species in Hawaii (the highest percentage of endangered species per
land area in the world).
http://www.bishop.hawaii.org/bishop/HBS/hbs1.html
Bishop Museum Planetarium
The Bishop Museum Planetarium, part of Hawaii's State Museum of Natural and
Cultural History, offers a variety of entertaining and educational programs
that explore the universe around us. Astronomy enthusiasts can read the monthly
Skywatch column to keep informed about current astronomical events, and view
sky maps. This site also has information about satellites and weather forecasting,
and links to planetaria around the world.
http://www.bishop.hawaii.org/bishop/planet/sky.html
Plasma Science and Technology
Plasma has been called the fourth state of matter. Plasmas are "a quasineutral
gas of charged and neutral particles which exhibit collective behavior." Most
applications have emerged within the past two decades. This web page presents
information on basic plasma physics, fusion plasmas, space plasmas, and plasma
technology. There are almost 200 topical areas in plasma science and technology,
including about 80 applications areas, which include semiconductor manufacturing,
microelectronic technology, electron and ion beam projection lithography, advanced
microwave devices, vacuum microelectronics, pure diamond film deposition, ceramic
production, spacecraft, metal extraction and processing, and toxic waste treatment.
Because plasma science is highly interdisciplinary, students must have a broad
range of technical competence in the fields of optics, materials science, electrical
power, electronics, statistical mechanics and kinetic theory, magnetohydrodynamics,
high voltage, pulsed power, ultra-high vacuum, computer applications, spectroscopy,
atomic physics, nonlinear dynamics, microwave generation, particle and fields
detection, and lasers. This web page has information resources and references
for this fascinating subject, plus links to societies, forums, journals, and
a newsgroup. You can also find a glossary of plasma terms, and information on
plasma science and technology activities worldwide.
Space Educators' Handbook
This website offers the Multimedia Space Educators' Handbook, a virtual space
encyclopedia from the Automation, Robotics, and Simulation Division at the Johnson
Space Center in Houston, Texas. The handbook uses multimedia technology to make
space science education entertaining. Featured are digital aerospace comics
about the Apollo 13 rescue, the Wright Brothers, and Charles Lindbergh, and
an innovative QuickTime space movie archive. Readers can learn about aerospace
science and technology by comparing science fiction illustrations of space hardware
with real NASA spacecraft. Many other files are present including a graphical
/ interactive aerospace calendar, space quotes, space coloring book, space art,
space history, space social science, and space industrial arts. The space mathematics
section has example problems in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus.
There are pictures and narrative descriptions of the planets and satellites,
and a spinoff magazine featuring technology spawned by space exploration. Downloadable
versions of everything are included for Macs and PCs using runtime versions
of HyperCard and ToolBook. There are also links to other outstanding educational
sites on the Web.
NOTE: Sometimes the NASA site may be busy, try again.
The Nine Planets
Visit this web page for a multimedia tour of the Solar System. There are about
60 sections covering the major bodies: the Sun, the Moon, the planets, their
moons, and asteroids, comets, meteors, meteorites, the Kuiper Belt and the Oort
Cloud, the Interplanetary Medium. Each page has a picture of its object, some
facts about it, a table of data on its satellites, links to more information,
and a list of open issues for which we have no answers yet. Also included are
sound clips and links to movies. The information here is intended for a general
audience; all technical terms are defined in the glossary. Additional topics
covered are the origin of the Solar System; spacecraft involved in planetary
science; historical information on discovery of the planets; seeing the Solar
System with your own eyes; planetary linguistics; astronomical names and how
they're assigned; other solar systems; and hypothetical planets. There are appendices
of Solar System data and a comprehensive list of planetary images available
on the Web.
http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/nineplanets.html
Today@NASA
Get current information on Space Shuttle activities; and schedules for future
missions. See stunning movies, animations, and photos from the Hubble Space
Telescope. Take a tour of the Solar System. Follow Astronaut Shannon Lucid's
stay aboard Mir until August and find out about Mir sighting opportunities.
Recent happenings: Space radar revealed ancient segments of China's Great Wall
this April; NASA, in cooperation with Russia and other nations, will send men
and women to an International Space Station for extended periods of time in
order to do research; NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is collecting signatures
to put on a CD-ROM aboard the Cassini mission to Saturn in 1997, so you can
send your name to the Outer Solar System; NASA's Exploration of Neighboring
Planetary Systems (ExNPS) is designed to answer a question of deep and abiding
interest: Are there other worlds in the Universe capable of supporting life?
The Complete NASA TV schedule includes news footage, educational programs and
historical films. Internet users can now keep up to date by watching the Space
Calendar for activities and anniversaries, or obtain Kennedy Space Center news
releases and status reports by electronic subscription. Some of the NASA information
is available in Spanish and German.
The Great Globe Gallery on the World Wide Web
This web page must portray every possible way of viewing the Earth. See the
Earth in 3D, from space, and in digital elevation models. Look at satellite
views and mapping of sea surface temperatures, ocean dynamic topography, ozone
zones, ice caps and permafrost, winds, volcano influences, crustal boundaries,
and earthquake centres. See ancient globes, medieval globes, fantasy globes,
rotating and spinning globes, artificial globes, astroglobes. See how globes
are divided by longitude and latitude, political boundaries, or time zones.
Study the different projections such as conic, azimuthal equidistant, bipolar
oblique conic conformal, gnomonic,Mercator, orthographic, pseudocylindrical,
sinusoidal, stereographic, and cylindrical; and read explanations of how the
projections work. The Great Globe Gallery also sponsors the Earth & Sky
Radio Series, which offers programs seven days a week of high-quality scientific
information about the natural world. Global Learning and Observation to Benefit
the Environment is a worldwide network of students, teachers, and scientists
working together to study and understand the global environment. Find out how
to join the GLOBE program at this site.
The MAD Scientist Network
What is the most rare, and what is the most serious virus? Where is carbon #
5? What is the temperature of space? Ask the MAD Scientist Network, "a collective
crania of scientists from around the world, fielding questions from as many
people in as many places." In the archives are past questions on anatomy, molecular
biology, botany, ecology, genetics, immunology, medicine, and many other fields
of science. Questioners range from elementary school students asking for help
on science projects to curious readers to advanced students.
The Physics of Fly Casting
This page presents a discussion of the physics involved in a fly cast, beginning
with a very simple "freshman physics" picture and progressing to a more sophisticated
model based on Lagrangian mechanics. It includes a link to a PostScript file
that discusses the equations and shows the Fortran code used to produce the
simulations. Figures show such things as the velocity history of the fly during
the cast, for various types of fly line. Each line taper and density profile
produces a characteristic velocity profile which can be used to compare the
performance of different lines. A series of MPEG movies demonstrates the results:
each sequence of frames represents the solution of the equations of motion for
the fly line during a typical cast. In short, this website provides a field
day for physicists and fishermen.
Sea World / Busch Gardens
This page has pictures and detailed information about animals of the sea and
land. "Ask Shamu" for answers to animal questions. There are animal quizzes,
environmental and conservation pages, teacher's curriculum guides, and other
educational resources. There is advice for the amateur aquarium enthusiast and
those who want to pursue careers in zoology or marine mammal science.
Comet Hale-Bopp Movies
Will Comet Hale-Bopp, the "Doomsday Comet", hit the earth in 1997? Likely not,
say astronomers. But it may be a bright object in the sky. Brian Monson at The
University of Tulsa has created a series of Quicktime animation movies to show
its calculated course. There are links here to other pages about the comet.
The Electronic Zoo
Here are photos and information about birds, cats, cows, invertebrates, reptiles,
amphibians, marine mammals, and even fictional animals like Godzilla and Miss
Piggy. There are links to educational institutions, veterinary sites, and sites
representing zoology, biology, agriculture, ecology, medicine, and animal welfare.
Science
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