The Internet is a place where huge amounts of information is stored on an amount of topics unfathomable by a single person. Today anyone can generate their own web page within a couple of minutes (or just one sleepless night in this case). Anyway, thousands of biology related web sites clutter the Internet. Some are excellent sources of information and knowledge, others are just wastes of server hard drive space. Some sites provide eye-popping graphics and multimedia, others are just black and white text. And, like women, the more attractive page will catch your attention and draw in your interest more than a plain one will. So, as my biology project for the school year of 1996-1997, I reviewed dozens of biology web pages for hour after pain-staking hour just to weed out the low quality web sites and to bring to you only the best biology related web sites on the Internet. Also, so as not to make any web designers feel bad, I've included a list of links to many other biology centered web sites. I hope you enjoy your journey through this site as much as I enjoyed making it...hahaha!
The Interactive Frog Dissection is an excellent place to virtually dissect a frog! This innovative lab takes the "eew, do I actually have to touch that thing?" out of frog dissection. It provides detailed instructions and full color photographs for each step being performed along the way from pining down its appendages to examining its removed spleen. The one performing this lab operates in an easy to use point and click interface, demonstrating what he or she has just learned, to be able to move on. Be warned, it is not advisable to eat immediately prior to this virtual dissection, because the scenes do get very graphic. Others pros include the ability to work with male and female, and pithed or preserved frogs, and there is no smell beside the one normally found in the room your in. Some cons are that being the lab is based around pictures, each page's draw rate is slow, also, navigation in primarily controlled by semi-confusing textual links, and because of the angle some of the photographs were taken at, it can be hard to see the organ of choice. Note: this lab was originally designed to be used during, not instead of a dissection lab.
Ratings: 8/10, EV-8, AI-8, GM-8, DL-E/J/H
The Internet Pathology Laboratory is an excellent resource of photographs of almost every body organ and system! This is actually University of Utah's medical library, where they keep hundreds of amazing images taken of almost every body organ and system imaginable, and even into those different organs and systems, and also pictures of them with different diseases. These photographs are extremely graphic and detailed, but because of their large numbers (164 pictures just of the heart) and their high level of detail, moving from page to page is very slow and drawn out. For each topic (i.e. heart, endocrine system, digestive system) there are multiple choice tests consisting of 25 questions each. For these exams, there are instructions and analysis of the test results. There are also lab exercises which accompany the school's lectures, syllabus, and textbooks for each topic.
Ratings: 7/10, EV-6, AI-7, GM-9, DL-C
The Heart: An Online Exploration provides much detailed and general information about the human heart. This site basically took the theme of the heart and expanded off it, having links to pages having any relevancy to the heart, though some of the pages (i.e. blood pressure, effects of smoking, red blood cells) were actually semi-interesting. The links to these sites were textual and located amongst text, making them annoying to find and figure out. Labs and activities came prepared with the site, along with pictures, movies, and a glossary of terms. Although this site has many good qualities, it seems to be poorly made, and not updated recently.
Ratings: 8/10, EV-9, AI-8, GM-7, DL-J/H
Marching Through the Visible Man is a site setup as a trial for future development. A few major corporations joined together to experiment with a new form of 3D imaging, and developed The Visible Human as a result. A cadaver was obtained, then sliced from head to toe into hundreds of tiny slivers. Each of these was then scanned, and later so were the bones and organs using breaking-edge MRI technology. The outcome was a 3D model of the person with amazing photo-realism and the ability to view different organ systems of theirs and their skeletons, even through semi-transparent layers of flesh. Because of an extremely high compression rate, pictures download quickly, but the movies cannot be viewed without MPEG2 support.
Ratings: 8/10, EV-6, AI-8, GM-9, DL-J/H/C
Marching Through the Visible Woman is a site setup as a trial for future development. A few major corporations joined together to experiment with a new form of 3D imaging, and developed The Visible Human as a result. A cadaver was obtained, then sliced from head to toe into hundreds of tiny slivers. Each of these was then scanned, and later so were the bones and organs using breaking-edge MRI technology. The outcome was a 3D model of the person with amazing photo-realism and the ability to view different organ systems of theirs and their skeletons, even through semi-transparent layers of flesh. Because of an extremely high compression rate, pictures download quickly, but the movies cannot be viewed without MPEG2 support.
Ratings: 8/10, EV-6, AI-8, GM-9, DL-J/H/C
Ratings: (Out of 10)
EV - Educational value
AI - Amount of Interest
GM - Graphics and Multimedia
DL - Difficulty Level (Elementary/Junior High/High School/College)
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Come visit Cold Spring Harbor High School's famous web page, or send e-mail to Ms. Martin, the high school's science deartment chairperson and it's only AP biology teacher!
Hi, I'm Adrian, the creator or this 'A'-deserving page. Please e-mail me, to give me any hints, tips, suggestions, or just to say hi!