Science
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www.sciencemag.org SCIENCE VOL 306 22 OCTOBER 2004 585 DATABASE Beyond the Jungle Book Lions and tigers and bears live in the wild in India, along with some 90,000 other animal species, includ- ing this saucer-sized atlas moth (Attacus atlas). The new compendium IndFauna, hosted by the National Chemical Laboratory Cen- tre for Biodiversity Informatics in Pune, offers taxonomic synopses for all of the described species of Indian animals. Besides the lat- est information on classification and conservation status, you’ll find distribution data down to the state level. The atlas moth, for example, flaps around 11 states stretching from eastern to west- ern India. You can also browse the center’s similar collections on Indian plants and fungi. www.ncbi.org.in RESOURCES The Universe From A to Z Wondering why space scientists are excited about Lake Vostok, which lies buried beneath 3700 meters of ice in Antarctica? Want to know how long a star lives? The answers await at the wide- ranging Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, Astronomy, and Spaceflight from astronomer and writer David Darling of Brainerd, Minnesota. For exam- ple, the average lifetime of a G type star like our sun is 10 bil- lion years, whereas a torrid gi- ant blue star like Alnitak will perish after a mere 10 million years. And Lake Vostok might serve as a model for possible oceans on worlds such as Jupiter’s moon Europa. The pages also offer brief biographies of luminaries in astronomy, rocketry, and related fields, such as the eccentric Swiss- American Fritz Zwicky (1898–1974), who inferred the presence of dark matter. www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/ETEmain.html RESOURCES Sustain the Earth If you’re looking for Web resources on how science might con- tribute to development that doesn’t ruin the environment, check out the Forum on Science and Technolo- gy for Sustainability, sponsored by Harvard University. The site rounds up a host of pa- pers, online books, and reports touching on everything from biobased fuels to wind energy in India. An events calendar tracks important conferences and workshops. In the com- mentary section, guest con- tributors sound off on topics from how to measure sustain- ability to biotechnology’s role in promoting it. Many of the offerings revolve around seven key questions, including whether researchers can determine “safe” limits for human-caused environmental alterations such as climate change. sustsci.harvard.edu TOOLS Cancer’s Gene Teams The free GeneXPress software available from this site can help researchers parse micro- array data to identify groups of genes that work in concert during normal activities or in cancerous cells. Created by re- searchers at Stanford Univer- sity, the program winkles out clusters of genes whose activi- ty rises or falls in unison. The site also holds a database of results from the group’s analy- sis of nearly 2000 microarrays for 22 tumor types from pub- lished studies. As they report- ed in this month’s Nature Ge- netics, the researchers found 456 “modules,” or gene teams that labor together. A cadre of genes that checks division shuts down in cells from some leukemia patients, for example. robotics.stanford.edu/~erans/cancer N ET WATCH edited by Mitch Leslie CREDITS (TOP TO BOTTOM):VISHWAS CHAVAN; PHOTODISC RED; GORDON KLINTWORTH Send site suggestions to [email protected]. Archive: www.sciencemag.org/netwatch IMA GES Get an Eyeful Romantics aren’t the only people who gaze into someone else’s eyes. So do med students, oph- thalmologists, and researchers who have set their sights on visual disorders. They can get a close look at how the eye works and what happens when it falters at the Eye Patholo- gist. Featuring more than 3500 images, the tutorial comes from pathologist Gordon Klintworth of Duke University Medical Center.Visitors can study the anatomy and function of structures such as the lens, cornea, retina, and optic nerve. The primer also describes development and how the eye changes over time. As we age, the lacrimal glands that exude tears shrivel and amass fatty deposits, and they sometimes stint on tear production. The more than 5000 eye diseases covered range from cataracts to Marfan syn- drome, a connective tissue malfunction in which the lens of- ten grows in the wrong position. www.eyepathologist.com Published by AAAS
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www.sciencemag.org SCIENCE VOL 306 22 OCTOBER 2004 585
D ATA B A S E
Beyond theJungle BookLions and tigers and bearslive in the wild in India,along with some 90,000other animal species, includ-ing this saucer-sized atlasmoth (Attacus atlas). The newcompendium IndFauna, hosted bythe National Chemical Laboratory Cen-tre for Biodiversity Informatics in Pune, offers taxonomic synopsesfor all of the described species of Indian animals. Besides the lat-est information on classification and conservation status, you’llfind distribution data down to the state level. The atlas moth, forexample, flaps around 11 states stretching from eastern to west-ern India. You can also browse the center’s similar collections onIndian plants and fungi.
www.ncbi.org.in
R E S O U R C E S
The UniverseFrom A to ZWondering why spacescientists are excitedabout Lake Vostok,whichlies buried beneath3700 meters of ice inAntarctica? Want toknow how long a starlives? The answersawait at the wide-ranging Encyclopediaof Astrobiology, Astronomy, andSpaceflight from astronomerand writer David Darling ofBrainerd, Minnesota. For exam-ple, the average lifetime of a Gtype star like our sun is 10 bil-lion years, whereas a torrid gi-ant blue star like Alnitak willperish after a mere 10 millionyears. And Lake Vostok mightserve as a model for possibleoceans on worlds such asJupiter’s moon Europa.The pagesalso offer brief biographies of luminaries in astronomy,rocketry, and related fields,such as the eccentric Swiss-American Fritz Zwicky (1898–1974), who inferred the presenceof dark matter.
www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/ETEmain.html
R E S O U R C E S
Sustain the EarthIf you’re looking for Web resources on how science might con-
tribute to development that doesn’t ruin the environment,check out the Forum on
Science and Technolo-gy for Sustainability,sponsored by HarvardUniversity. The site
rounds up a host of pa-pers, online books, and reportstouching on everything frombiobased fuels to wind energyin India. An events calendartracks important conferencesand workshops. In the com-mentary section, guest con-tributors sound off on topicsfrom how to measure sustain-
ability to biotechnology’s role in promoting it.Many of the offerings revolve around seven keyquestions, including whether researchers can
determine “safe” limits for human-caused environmentalalterations such as climatechange.
sustsci.harvard.edu
T O O L S
Cancer’s GeneTeamsThe free GeneXPress softwareavailable from this site canhelp researchers parse micro-array data to identify groupsof genes that work in concertduring normal activities or incancerous cells. Created by re-searchers at Stanford Univer-sity, the program winkles outclusters of genes whose activi-ty rises or falls in unison. Thesite also holds a database ofresults from the group’s analy-sis of nearly 2000 microarraysfor 22 tumor types from pub-lished studies. As they report-ed in this month’s Nature Ge-netics, the researchers found456 “modules,” or gene teams
that labor together. A cadre of genes that checks division shutsdown in cells from some leukemia patients, for example.
robotics.stanford.edu/~erans/cancer
NETWATCHedited by Mitch Leslie
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Send site suggestions to [email protected]. Archive: www.sciencemag.org/netwatch
I M A G E S
Get anEyefulRomantics aren’tthe only peoplewho gaze intosomeone else’seyes. So do medstudents, oph-
thalmologists, and researchers who have set their sights onvisual disorders. They can get a close look at how the eyeworks and what happens when it falters at the Eye Patholo-gist. Featuring more than 3500 images, the tutorial comesfrom pathologist Gordon Klintworth of Duke UniversityMedical Center.Visitors can study the anatomy and functionof structures such as the lens, cornea, retina, and opticnerve. The primer also describes development and how theeye changes over time. As we age, the lacrimal glands thatexude tears shrivel and amass fatty deposits, and theysometimes stint on tear production. The more than 5000eye diseases covered range from cataracts to Marfan syn-drome, a connective tissue malfunction in which the lens of-ten grows in the wrong position.
www.eyepathologist.com
Published by AAAS
