WebWatch
2006; Future Science Ltd; Volume: 40; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Suaíli
10.2144/06401ww01
ISSN1940-9818
Autores ResumoBioTechniquesVol. 40, No. 1 WebWatchOpen AccessWebWatchKevin AhernKevin AhernPublished Online:21 May 2018https://doi.org/10.2144/06401WW01AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInReddit The Leading EdgeWith a mandate to "promote inquiry into and discussion of intellectual, philosophical, artistic, and literary issues, as well as to work for the intellectual and social achievement of society," Edge Foundation's intriguing Edge page delivers on the group's promise with well-written, insightful essays on topics that span modern scientific thought. Hot-button topics, like intelligent design are addressed by Marcelo Gleiser ("Who Designed the Designer?"), Scott Atran ("Unintelligent Design"), and Daniel Dennett ("Show Me the Science"), among others. Other interesting items online at press time included articles commemorating the 100th anniversary of E = mc2 and the 60th anniversary of John von Neumann's proposal for a digital computer.www.edge.orgHeart BreakersNow that the holidays are over and the New Year is begun, it's time to start dealing with the downsides of those wonderful seasonal meals. Yes, you've probably put on at least a bit of weight, but worse, you've probably made it harder for your heart to stay healthy. Enter the Lipids Online site, a web-based information source covering atherosclerosis, dyslipidemia, and lipid management. Hosted at the Baylor College of Medicine, Lipids Online provides educational materials in a superb PowerPoint slide library and food for thought via commentaries on research. Interesting articles abound on topics like statins, diabetes, and C-reactive protein.www.lipidsonline.orgAnts in Your PlantsThat many animals rely on plants for survival is a given. Life on earth is almost completely dependent upon the capture of light energy by photo-synthetic organisms. Much less known, however, is the group of plants, known as myrmecophytes, which relies on insects (ants, to be specific) for nutrients and/or protection. There is a good deal of mutualism in the relationship—the plants provide specialized structures, called domatia, that both house the ant colonies and absorb nutrients from them and the debris these critters scatter. At Nicholas Plummer's informative Ant Plants site, visitors can learn about plant/ant relationships that range from passive (Rubiaceae, for example, where the plants extracts nutrients from waste) to fairly aggressive (Nepenthaceae, plants that trap and digest nonbreeding worker ants), with several variations on these themes to boot.home.nc.rr.com/myrmecophyte/intro.htmlIt's a Small WorldThe headlines on the opening page of Microbiology and Bacteriology provide an excellent reminder to all who visit it that the world of microbiology encompasses more than just bacteria. Nine of the top ten news articles on the opening page concern some aspect of the dangerous avian flu virus making the rounds. It's a cold, cruel world out there, and bad guys disproportionately make the news, so influenza is hot, hot, hot, especially for microbiologists. To be sure, bacteria are prominent in this field too, and they are dealt with in good fashion at the site's excellent Textbook Table of Contents, which offers an online mini-course in microbiology in a hypertext format.www.bact.wisc.edu/MicrotextbookMuseum of Micropolitan ArtWhat exactly constitutes a work of art? An element of beauty in an object or image is not unreasonable to expect, but can something your eyes can't see really be art? Wim van Egmond, organizer of the Micropolitan Museum, makes a convincing case that this apparent contradiction is possible, so long as a microscope is available to help visualize the "portraits." Life imitates art at Wim's museum, which includes images of microbes in freshwater and marine environments, as well as insect parts (botanical section under construction). Don't be surprised, therefore, if images of pointillistic mosquito wings, Mondrian-like Bacillaria paxilifer, Stentor ciliates that look like they were made by Jackson Pollock, or Euplotes reminiscent of van Gogh make you feel like you're at the Louvre.www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/micropolitan/index.htmlFiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Vol. 40, No. 1 Follow us on social media for the latest updates Metrics History Published online 21 May 2018 Published in print January 2006 Information© 2006 Author(s)PDF download
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