ALtruis Biomedical Network - If it's health and/or biomedical information you're after, this site promises more than 130 links from which to choose, such as e.kidneys. com and e-histology.net. Topics run the gamut from personal care products to fungal infections to proteomics, organized under headings of Infections, Cardiology, Hygiene, Research, Women's Health, Endocrinology, Cancer, and others. You can learn why a store brand of shampoo is just as effective as a pricier salon product, and the specifics of many tropical diseases. Fascinating bits of history are included, for example, the Egyptians used oxen hoof ash, eggshells, pumice, and myrrh in an ancient form of toothpowder. The site accepts advertisements, but these do not detract from the excellent presentation of the main content. Rating: 9 out of 10 (14 February 2003) AD
http://www.altruisbiomedical.net/index.html
EarthTrends: The Environmental Information Portal - A must-bookmark site for anyone interested in environmental and development issues, offering up-to-date facts and figures as well as analysis of trends and policy initiatives. EarthTrends is the information portal of the World Resources Institute, a Washington-based environmental think tank that 'provides information, ideas, and solutions to global environmental problems'. The site has ten main sections including Coastal and Marine Ecosystems; Energy and Resources; Biodiversity and Protected Areas; Population, Health and Human Well-being; Climate and Atmosphere each of which can be explored by several options: Searchable databases, Data tables, Country profiles, Maps, and Features. (To access the first three of these you have to first register by filling out a form; Maps and Features can be accessed directly.) The excellent search facilities allow for searching according to different criteria by category of information , by country, by geographic region, or by development status so you can easily find the specific information you're looking for (say, energy consumption by sector in developed/developing countries, or the number of protected wildlife areas/number of threatened animal species in Europe/Asia). The Features present in-depth articles on a wide range of current environmental and sustainable development issues, and, like material from elsewhere on the site, are all downloadable. The site is clearly laid out and nicely designed, of a look with the rest of the WRI site, with a white background and easy-on-the-eye thematic colours and graphics. From here you can also access the other sections of the WRI site, including information on its publications and multimedia. Rating: 9 out of 10 (27 December 2002) DD
http://earthtrends.wri.org/
Microbiology Direct - Launched in July 2000, this site aims to provide an up to date directory of microbiology websites. The most useful feature of the site is the Info tag, which provides a small review of the site when the cursor is held over it. Sites are divided into catagories, which means that a site may appear more than once in the directory. Catagories include bacterial catagories (Gram positive, Gram negative and medically important bacteria), culture collections, images and genomics. The catagory "Journals" has an A-Z of journals on the net, including a list of which have free back issues available. This is a well presented site, with a very good search facility. In all, this is an excellent resource, particularly for anyone either studying microbiology or who wants to know more about a particular organism. (15 December 2001) SC
http://www.microbiology-direct.com/
Computer and Communication - The main purpose of this site is to provide an index of information, rather than original content. However, unlike other general index sites, the site is focused on a specific theme - computers and communications. It offers a reasonably comprehensive web technology directory that is well cross-referenced and interlinked. The majority of the many commercial and corporate sites listed here are US-based, although one can work their way from here across the word. The search tools offered are useful and searches can be based on geography or "standard terms". Created by Webstart (an organisation specialising web content and advertising) this site is a technology resource more than of scientific interest. Regarding this, I experienced some confusion upon entering the site, since what exactly is being offered is perhaps not completely clear. The site also appears somewhat dated and perhaps not as stylish as the more modern index sites such as "Yahoo!". It a very information rich site and this draws attention to the need for a more clear navigation method. The key advantage of the Computer and Communication Site is that it is a unique offering - dedicated to one subject area. (3 November 2001) DM
http://www.cmpcmm.com/cc/
The Accretion Disk Astronomy Links - There are links to 3000 sites here, plenty to keep you busy on nights when the weather is not agreeable to skywatching, or the glow from city lights is just too much to endure. Categories include astrophysics, objects in the solar system, telescopes and observatories, amateur telescope production, CCDs and photography, magazines, and astronomy software. Of course, there is a section devoted to the unclassifiable (always a favorite), and this is where you'll find the answer to the question, Is Io Made of Beer? (16 August 2001) AD
http://pages.sprint.ca/todd/files/astrolinks.html
Dublin Night Sky Observer - For amateur astronomers, Dublin Night Sky observer strives to be a portal and does it pretty well. For others, spending some time on the site might tempt you to become one. The compilation in 'Articles' for various subjects is a good place to start. With recent space news, telescopes, books on telescopes, software, links to websites of relevance and images, the site covers amateur astronomy from different angles. Instead of being just another portal filling the pages with as many links as possible for a given subject, the content is laudably eclectic. Brief description of the content under each link is a nice touch. Want to learn something new in astronomy in every day ? Be sure to visit the skynotes section. (26 March 2001) RK
http://indigo.ie/~gnugent/dnso/
