Science Surfing

Humans

Protecting Consumers

The Federal Trade Commission has launched a blog associated with its public hearings on “Protecting Consumers in the Next Tech-ade,” held Nov. 6-8, 2006. The hearings examined how evolving technology will shape and change the habits, opportunities, and challenges of consumers and businesses in the coming decade. It featured experts from the business, government, and […]

Humans

Thinking Math and Science

This site describes itself as the online community for academically talented youth. Developed by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth, it provides timely news articles about scientific advances, profiles of researchers, information on summer programs and academic competitions, book reviews, and even a humor section, with items gathered from a wide variety of […]

Earth

Encyclopedia of Earth

The Encyclopedia of Earth is an online source of environmental information that features objective, authoritative articles written and reviewed by an international community of experts. Topics range from absorption of toxicants and biodiversity to wind farms and zero-point energy. Entries often include images and references. Go to: http://www.eoearth.org/

Humans

Insect Close-Ups

Psychology professor David Yager of the University of Maryland has focused his research on the evolution of hearing. In the course of this work, he has produced extraordinary, close-up portraits of a variety of insects. His image of a Cuban cockroach recently won second place for photography in the National Science Foundation’s annual Science and […]

Physics

Hawking at CERN

Physicist Stephen Hawking visited the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in late September 2006. The CERN Web site offers a glimpse of Hawking’s visit and video of two lectures that he presented, one for a general audience on the origin of the universe and the other for a specialist audience on the “semi-classical birth […]

Humans

Learning about Engineering

This site, created by biomedical engineer Celeste Baine of Eugene, Ore., offers material and access to resources to help motivate teachers, counselors, and students to learn about and consider pursuing careers in engineering. Go to: http://www.engineeringedu.com/

Earth

Space Weather News

Updated daily, this Web site provides news of activity in the sun-Earth environment, including solar wind, sunspot, and solar flare data, along with information on near-Earth asteroids, geomagnetic storms, and more. Go to: http://www.spaceweather.com/

Earth

Tox Town

This Web site from the U.S. National Library of Medicine offers an interactive introduction to toxic chemicals and environmental health risks that people might encounter in everyday life and in everyday places. The site includes many links to additional information and a section for teachers. Go to: http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/

Earth

Sustainable Design Competition

Do you have an idea for a cutting-edge technology that could protect the environment while promoting economic growth? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering college professors and their students an opportunity to turn ideas into reality through its P3 (People, Prosperity and the Planet) grants competition. EPA’s P3 is a student design competition […]

Physics

Neutrino Detector

Neutrinos are remarkably elusive subatomic particles, and it takes specially designed and constructed detectors to ensnare them. One such detector is the Soudan Underground Laboratory, built 2,400 feet underground in an old mine in Minnesota. The lab’s Web site offers descriptions of the facilities and updates on ongoing experiments. It also has a section for […]

Ecosystems

Madagascar’s Fantastic Forests

Produced by WBUR in Boston to accompany a special program on Madagascar, this award-winning Web site offers a remarkably detailed look at life on this island, with a focus on the struggle to preserve Earth’s diversity of life. It includes photo galleries, audio clips, videos, maps, and much more. Go to: http://www.wbur.org/special/madagascar/

Humans

ThinkQuest Winners

In the ThinkQuest competition, teams of students from around the world create educational Web sites. Take a look at this year’s winners, which feature imaginative and engaging efforts on such topics as avian flu, mathematics history, information inequality in the digital age, minerals and mining, artificial intelligence, and more. Go to: http://www.thinkquest.org/aug05may06/index.shtml