Virtual Creatures - This site is an attempt to provide high-resolution computerised 3-D images of organisms. However, at the moment, Virtual Frog would be a more accurate title, as all the currently available features have a distinctly amphibian theme. The 3-D rendered frog is a good tool for visualising the layout of the bones, muscles and organs in the frog without resorting to disection. Frog Island is the highlight of the site. In this, you can visit various huts where you can investigate different aspects of frog anatomy, as well as biometrics and bioethics. There are teachers notes available, and a wealth of lesson plans for students, raising important issues such as the effect of humans on the environment. The Java Jumping Frog game is a bit of fun, although it's educational aspect is dubious. The aim is to catch enough flies to be able to jump into the pond and escape from the birds that are trying to make a meal of you. The game is tricky and requires repeated plays to perfect the technique of jumping. This is an excellent site, if you share the froggy obsession. (6 December 2001) SC
http://k-2.stanford.edu/creatures/
Human Blood - Your blood is your life, and perhaps it's time you knew a little more about this bodily fluid. The main components of blood are described, and the blood types, discovered by Karl Landsteiner (who won a Nobel for his work) and Alex Weiner. Mother-fetus incompatibilities are discussed at length, and how they can occur not only with Rh negative, but with ABO types as well. The web expeditions section is full of suggestions for further exploration, including a foray into whether a human could survive a transfusion of animal blood. (2 October 2001) AD
http://anthro.palomar.edu/blood/default.htm
Hand Transplant - What is it about hand transplants that makes them so ghoulish? Is it because we can see the joins? We're all used to transplanted hearts, kidneys and other organs, but the thought of stitching on a bit of a dead person that someone might recognize is definitely a turn-off. This might explain why the team of doctors responsible for the USA's first hand transplant 2 years ago, are still looking for looking for patient number two. What at first glance appears to be a bad attempt at black humour, with photos of their subject dutifully demonstrating how he can now tie his own shoelaces, is in fact a serious website describing microsurgical techniques at the frontiers of medical innovation. The history of the procedure, methods of patient and donor selection, and implications for future transplantation research are all described in meticulous detail. It was interesting to learn that size and blood type are the only donor requirements which are mandatory. Gender, skin tone, race and age are more of an individual preference. Full references and links to media releases on the subject are included, as well as graphic photos taken during surgery. Not for the squeamish. (7 March 2001) JAS
http://www.handtransplant.org/
