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Two New Online Databases from the National Institute of Standards and Technology
Atomic Spectral Line Broadening Bibliographic Database
http://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Linebr/html/reffrm0.html
Stopping-Power and Range Tables for Electrons, Protons, and Helium Ions
http://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Star/Text/contents.html
Two databases containing Physical Reference Data are available online from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (mentioned in the August 16, 1996 Scout Report for Science & Engineering). The first, Atomic Spectral Line Broadening Bibliographic Database, includes 800 references containing "numerical data, general information, comments, and review articles." Users can conduct fielded searches (e.g., Element, Mechanism, etc.) of Papers with Numerical Data or General Interest Papers without Numerical Data, or search via Additional Criteria such as Author and Journal. Results yield listings of the articles but no hyperlinks. The second database, Stopping-Power and Range Tables for Electrons, Protons, and Helium Ions, contains "three web databases, ESTAR, PSTAR and ASTAR, which calculate stopping-power and range tables for electrons, protons, or helium ions, according to methods described in ICRU (International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements) Reports 37 and 49." In the Appendix section, users will find summaries explaining the significance of the calculated quantities. [SN]
[Back to Contents]Journal of Ecology -- JSTOR
http://www.jstor.org/journals/00220477.html
JSTOR: Participating Institutions
http://www.jstor.org/about/participants_na.html
JSTOR has made available online the British Ecological Society's publication Journal of Ecology, containing "original research papers on all aspects of ecology of plants (including algae) in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems." Online issues include Volumes 1-83, spanning the years 1913-1995 (issues will be added as they become more than three years old). The journal may be searched by keyword in several fields -- full-text, title, author, and abstract -- or browsed by date of publication. A list of JSTOR participants is provided at the JSTOR site. [LXP]
[Back to Contents]Annals in Biomedical Engineering Online [.pdf, .ps]
http://ojps.aip.org/journals/doc/ABMECF-home/top.html
The Annals of Biomedical Engineering (ABME) is published by the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and produced bi-monthly by the American Institute of Physics. The journal offers "original articles in the major fields of bioengineering and biomedical engineering, as well as review articles, special communications (e.g., methods), rapid communications, history and teaching articles, book reviews, and letters-to-the-Editor." Users can search for articles by keyword, author's initials, publication date, volume, or issue. While the abstracts are available in the HTML version, the full-text articles can be viewed in either .pdf or PostScript formats. Abstracts from 1975 are available online. [SN]
[Back to Contents]Recent Ornithological Literature Online [Word, WordPerfect]
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET/ROL/
Recent Ornithological Literature (ROL) is "a serial compilation of citations and abstracts from the worldwide scientific literature that pertain to birds and the science of ornithology." Originally published as a printed supplement to the scientific journals The Auk,The Emu, and The Ibis,Recent Ornithological Literature (ROL) is now available online only. Following the last printed issue (No. 75, which accompanied Auk No. 115, Vol. 2, April 1998, and Ibis No. 140, Vol. 3, July 1998), the electronic-only version of ROL begins with No. 76. Back issues are also available electronically, however, for Nos. 74, 75, and 76. Users may browse the issues online or download the files (currently Microsoft Word or WordPerfect for PC only). [LXP]
[Back to Contents]SCTB Online: Science Tracer Bullets Online
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/sctb/
Science Tracers Bullet Online is an informal guide to help people locate published materials on subjects in the field of science and technology about which they only have a general knowledge. SCTB includes lists of bibliographies, conference proceedings, technical reports, and journal listings, among others. Users may search by keyword or title. The results of the search usually contain a definition of the field related to the query, bibliographies, and links to other sections in the database of Library of Congress Subject Headings that are related to the query. [SN]
[Back to Contents]Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR)
http://instaar.colorado.edu/
INSTAAR, the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, is an interdisciplinary research program based at the University of Colorado. The primary mission of INSTAAR is "to facilitate interdisciplinary research leading to a predictive understanding of the biological, chemical, and physical interactions that regulate the earth system in arctic, alpine, and other regions." At the homepage, users will find an overview of research programs (on Ecosystems, Geophysics, Past Global Change, and Geochronology), research stations, a Reading Room (including a bibliographic database with over 1,300 references to literature on the Niwot Ridge LTER covering 1900 to the present), graduate information, and Web links, among other information. [LXP]
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Chemical Comic Relief
http://www.uky.edu/~holler/periodic/periodic.html
John Selegue and James Holler at the University of Kentucky have provided this ingenious learning resource, Chemical Comic Relief. Visitors to the site click on an element on the periodic table to see a list of comic pages involving that element. For example, clicking on Oxygen brings up a list of comics including Four Color: Ricky Nelson, which shows Ricky discussing oxygen to attempt (unsuccessfully) to impress a girl. Some pages include a summary discussing both the comic as well as the element it features, and the site also offers a chronological History of Chemistry in the Comics -- an album of comic pages from the 1930s to the present. To gain a greater understanding of the technical aspects (atomic weight, key data and description, and history) of each element, the user can link to the WebElements Website. [SN]
[Back to Contents]Acid Rain 2000 [Frames, JavaScript]
http://www.brixworth.demon.co.uk/acidrain2000/acidlinks.htm
Maintained by Mike Lewis of the Department of Geography, Northamptonshire Grammar School (UK), Acid Rain 2000 is an project designed to educate students about the causes, effects, and politics of acid rain. Described in full-text with accompanying illustrations, the site offers detailed background information, examples of acid rain's effects (mostly European), and suggestions for learning activities. Additionally, educators may sign up their classrooms to participate (to collect monitoring data), or they can view data already collected. Note: At this point, it seems that there are few schools participating and the site is "under construction," thus the Acid Rain 2000 Online section contains many broken links. The section entitled Acid Rain on the Web offers an excellent collection of links ranging from the general (Acid Rain in Norway) to the specific (soil acidification, declining forests, critical loads). The author's attention to detail and the broad range of references provide users with an excellent learning tool and springboard into understanding acid rain. [LXP]
[Back to Contents]Elementary Linear Algebra [.ps]
http://www.maths.uq.oz.au/~krm/ela.html
This online textbook, Elementary Linear Algebra, is made available by Keith Matthews of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Queensland. Sections are organized into chapters such as Linear Equations, Matrices, Subspaces, Determinants, Complex Numbers, Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors, Identifying Second Degree Equations, and Three-dimensional Geometry. Each chapter features problems with the solutions available on-site. This is an excellent companion guide for college students taking linear algebra. In addition, the site includes an exact arithmetic matrix program, CMAT, that "performs exact calculations on matrices whose elements are rational numbers, complex rational numbers or numbers from a finite field of p (prime) elements." This program makes it easier to calculate problems such as the reduced row echelon form, the determinant, and the characteristic polynomial of a matrix. [SN]
[Back to Contents]Microscopy Primer [Java]
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/index.html
If the question "Can I use a finite tube length objective on an infinity-corrected system?" is burning in your mind, this site may have the answers you seek. Michael Davidson, of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) at Florida State University, maintains this learning resource on Optical Microscopy. The site is divided into a number of useful sections. Fifty Most Frequently Asked Questions provides background information on microscopy and photomicrography. Anatomy of the Microscope offers an illustrated description of modern microscope elements, and Specialized Microscopy Techniques describes "contrast enhancement, fluorescence microscopy, differential interference contrast, phase contrast and other techniques used in microscopy." Virtual Microscopy offers an interesting interactive exploration (Java) of "the light path and filtration in reflected fluorescence microscopy." More than 100 links or references are provided in the Web Resources and Bibliography sections. Visitors will also want to check out the photomicrograph galleries, including Silicon Zoo, which features engineers' "doodles" on integrated circuits. [LXP]
[Back to Contents]The Online Meteorology Guide [Frames, RealPlayer G2, CosmoPlayer, Shockwave]
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/home.rxml
This excellent learning resource, the Online Meteorology Guide, is provided by the Weather World 2010 Project (WW2010) (described in the May 23, 1997 issue of the Scout Report) at the University of Illinois. Modules included at the Website are Light and Optics, Clouds and Precipitation, Forces and Winds, Air Masses and Fronts, Weather Forecasting, Severe Storms, Hurricanes, El Nino, and the Hydrologic Cycle. Each of these sections provides images, animations, computer simulations, and diagrams, as well as summaries to further explain the rudimentary concepts of atmospheric science. An interesting facet of this site is the Archived Case Studies section, which contains detailed descriptions of memorable weather events such as Hurricane Andrew. Users have the option of selecting a graphics-based or text-based interface for each and every page. This resource is useful for K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students. [SN]
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A Paleo Perspective on Global Warming
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwarming/home.html
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Paleoclimatology Program has made available the Paleo Perspective on Global Warming Website. Sections included at the site are the Beginning, the Story, the Data, Final Word, and Image Gallery, among others. The Story provides the user with a background on climate and climate variability. The Data section gives an in-depth look at the "instrumental and paleoclimatic data that tells us how the Earth's temperature has changed over the past years to the millennia." A highlight of the site is the Image Gallery section, with images from the following NOAA slide sets: Coral Paleoclimatology, Tree Ring, Lake Sediments, Pollen, and Low-Latitude Ice Cores and Polar Ice Cores. The site helps to highlight the importance of paleoclimatic research and shows how paleoclimatic research relates to global warming and other issues regarding climate change and variability. [SN]
[Back to Contents]Health, Ecological and Economic Dimensions (HEED) of Global Change Program [.pdf, Java]
http://heed.unh.edu/index.html
Funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), the Health, Ecological and Economic Dimensions (HEED) of Global Change Program tracks major marine ecological disturbances (MMED) and disease outbreaks. The purpose of the project is to "facilitate a better understanding of the local, regional and global causes and consequences of environmental change" so as to assess the resultant health- and market-related costs. In addition, HEED provides background "for the development of policies that preserve ecosystem integrity, and reduce our vulnerability to disturbance." At the HEED site, users may browse or download the major report "Marine Ecosystems: Emerging Diseases as Indicators of Change" (in HTML or .pdf format). In addition, the GIS MAPS section offers maps in interactive [Java] or static format. Furthermore, the HEED Global Change Program "provides researchers, interested in testing hypotheses, with six data-sets and a framework to explore factors (e.g., climate, pollution, trophodynamic shifts) that may be contributing to MMEDs." Although not all links are fully operational at present, the site's content is well worth investigation. [LXP]
[Back to Contents]World In Our Backyard [.pdf]
http://www.epa.gov/region01/students/teacher/world.html
The US Environmental Protection Agency-Region 1 (New England) has made available the World in Our Backyard Website. This site provides detailed information on Wetlands. Sections are divided into chapters: Wetland Science, Wetland Types, Wetland Functions, Threats to Wetlands, Find a Wetland to Study & Adopt, A Wetland Field Study, Protect Your Wetlands, How to Adopt a Wetland, and Appendix. Furthermore, the site also contains sections specifically geared towards students (Internships, Environmental Careers Resource Guide, and Student Center) and teachers (Speakers, Curricula, Videos, Grants, and EPA's National Teacher's Page). This site is a great resource for high school as well as college students and teachers. [SN]
[Back to Contents]Iowa State University Entomology Image Library
http://www.ent.iastate.edu/imagegallery/
Iowa State University's Department of Entomology hosts a gaggle of insect-related sites, among them the Entomology Image Library. Here, interested viewers may browse through many close-up, color images (and some MPEG animations) of beetles; lice; plant diseases and damage; butterflies, moths, and caterpillars; cicadas and leafhoppers; plants; flies and mosquitoes; ticks; grasshoppers and crickets; and true bugs. Each section provides several crisp images of insects (listed by common and scientific name), as well as images of insects feeding on crops. While the content is appropriate for students at all education levels (K-12 and up), this site may also be helpful to non-entomologist wildlife/ botanical researchers seeking common insect species identification tips, images of insects feeding, or images of severe herbivory. [LXP]
[Back to Contents]4000 Years of Women in Science [Frames, Java]
http://www.astr.ua.edu/4000WS/4000WS.html
The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Alabama provides the 4000 Years of Women in Science Website. This site is primarily comprised of a list (which can be viewed chronologically or by discipline) of women mainly from the pre-20th century period. A very brief description of the contributions these women have made to science fleshes out the list. The site has several sections: Introduction, Biographies, Photographs, and References. Furthermore, the user has the opportunity to try an Interactive quiz as well as a Crossword Puzzle. A highlight of the site is the ".GIF animation of the curve known as 'Witch of Agnesi.'" The curve is unique in the sense that it never reaches to a Y value of zero until X=infinity. This is called asymptotic behavior. This curve was studied by Maria Agnesi in the eighteenth century. This section provides the animation and a detailed description of how to draw the curve. A list of related learning links rounds out the site. [SN]
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(For links to additional current awareness on tables of contents, abstracts, preprints, new books, data, conferences, etc., visit the Science & Engineering Current Awareness Metapage: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/sci-engr/metapage/).Solar Structures can help Forecast largest Solar Blasts -- NASA
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1999/99-035.txt
Yokoh and the Sun [Frames]
http://www.solar.isas.ac.jp/english/index.html
Until now, it has only been possible to tell that a solar explosion had taken place after it actually occurred, but the discovery of the S-shaped sigmoid, means that scientists can forecast the blasts before they happen. The sigmoid or S-shaped structure "often appears on the sun in advance of a violent eruption, called a coronal mass ejection, that is as powerful as billions of nuclear explosions." The sigmoid structures were viewed by the Japanese Yohkoh spacecraft. Early warnings of approaching solar storms could be useful for industries such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which operate spacecraft and satellites. The first site is a press release from NASA. The second site provides more information about the Yohkoh spacecraft and its mission, and can also be viewed in Japanese. [SN]
[Back to Contents]elemental discoveries
http://www.sciencebase.com/
Experienced science journalist David Bradley serves up this resource on current chemical happenings. Tracking some of the discoveries and controversies at the forefront of chemistry, each issue of elemental discoveries summarizes a range of newsworthy topics, from gene control and tubular sensors to singing fish. In addition to the current issue, readers may browse past issues beginning December 1997. Two additional sections, Elemental Reviews and Book Sale, provide brief commentary on or descriptions (with UK prices) of related resources. [LXP]
[Back to Contents]Impact of Various Processing Options on SSM/I-derived Brightness Temperatures
http://www-nsidc.colorado.edu/NASA/GUIDE/SSMI/special_pub_7.html
The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado has made available the publication, Impact of Various Processing Options on SSM/I-derived Brightness Temperatures. This publication summarizes the "processing options for SSM/I data" such as "along-track scan corrections and sensor-to-sensor 'calibrations'" and how these options have been applied by the NSIDC as well as providing "an approximate estimate of the effects of applying or not applying the different options." [SN]
Dioxins and Furans and Hexachlorobenzene: Inventory of releases [.pdf]
http://www.ec.gc.ca/dioxin/download/dioxin_e.pdf
Environment Canada and the Federal/ Provincial Task Force on Dioxins and Furans has released this January 1999 report summarizing releases of Dioxins, Furans, and Hexachlorobenzene. The full text of the report (.pdf format) is accompanied by tables and color figures, which together describe releases from municipal incineration, residential wood combustion, iron manufacturing, pulp and paper, steel manufacturing, fuel combustion (traffic), and sewage sludge, among other sources. [LXP]
Impacts of Federal Policies and Programs on Wetlands [.pdf]
http://www.rff.org/disc_papers/PDF_files/9926.pdf
Resources For the Future has recently posted this publication (.pdf format) by Pierre Crosson and Kenneth Frederick on the impacts of Federal policies and programs on riparian wetlands. The authors review policies from wetland drainage to wetland restoration and creation, and highlight the need for research in several areas including farmer incentives, physical characteristics of wetlands, social values for wetlands, and mitigation banking. [LXP]
Academia Book Releases: March 1999 -- Baker & Taylor
http://www.baker-taylor.com/Academia/M03/Home.html
Baker & Taylor has announced their book releases for titles scheduled to be available to the public in March 1999. New titles are available in Agricultural Sciences; Biological Sciences; Chemical, Biotechnological, and Petroleum Engineering; Earth Sciences; Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Mathematical Sciences; Mechanical Engineering; and Technology and Material Sciences. See the Science & Engineering Current Awareness Metapage for links to individual new books sections. [LXP]
[Back to Contents]Job Openings in Science and Technology from the Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/free/jobs/faculty/scitech/links.htm
Formerly an entirely free service, the Chronicle of Higher Education now charges a fee to access the current week's job listings. Extensive postings for the previous week are freely available, however. [LXP]
Jobs
http://asa.aip.org/jobs.html
The Acoustical Society of America provides this Jobs page. Job listings are organized in a monthly format. Industry as well as academic positions for engineers or acoustics specialists are listed at the page. This is a good resource for students seeking internships or full-time positions. [SN]
engineerjobs.com: The Engineering Jobs Source [Frames]
http://www.engineerjobs.com/
The engineerjobs.com Website provides listings for engineers and technical professionals. Although postings are generally for the Great Lakes area, users can browse for listings posted from employers in other states. Sections included at the site are Resumes (free service), Mailing Lists, Search Jobs (searchable by keyword(s)), and Job Search Agent, among others. This site can be viewed in a Frames or a Non-frames format. This is an excellent resource for engineers. [SN]
The Geological Society of America (GSA)
http://www.geosociety.org/jobs/index.htm
The Geological Society of America provides this excellent resource listing current job opportunities at a variety of employment levels (primarily academic, though some technical and private industry positions are included). The Classified Ads section offers a hyperlinked list of job opportunities (including position description, contact information, and application deadlines); The Employment Services section offers further job listings at the national level, and Job Opportunities announces opportunities at GSA. [LXP]
[Back to Contents]Four New Funding Opportunities from the National Science Foundation
Antarctic Research
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9993/nsf9993.htm
Methods and Models for Integrated Assessment (MMIA) Research Opportunity Related to the NSF Global Change Research Program
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9986/nsf9986.txt
Energetics and Dynamics of the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere: CEDAR/TIMED Collaborative Studies
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9999/nsf9999.htm
Contaminant Behavior and Impact in Northern Polar Regions
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9997/nsf9997.htm
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has made available four new funding opportunities. The first initiative, Antarctic Research, will fund scientists conducting research in Antarctica and performing related research in the US. The initiative will support research in areas such as Aeronomy and Astrophysics, Biology and Medical Research, Geology and Geophysics, Ocean and Climate Systems, Glaciology, Environmental Research, and Instrumentation. Proposals may be submitted each year between May 1 and June 1. The second initiative, Methods and Models for Integrated Assessment (MMIA) Research Opportunity Related to the NSF Global Change Research Program, seeks to support "methodical research that will advance the design and conduct of integrated assessments (approaches for examining the complex interactions among Earth's physical, biological, and human systems)." The deadline for proposal submission is May 21, 1999. The third research initiative, Energetics and Dynamics of the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere: CEDAR/TIMED Collaborative Studies, aims to advance our understanding of the "common processes that affect the region of the atmosphere between 60 and 180 km altitude." The full proposal submission deadline is June 3, 1999. The fourth initiative, the Contaminant Behavior and Impact in Northern Polar Regions, hopes to encourage research in the "physical and biological routes, rates, and reservoirs of Arctic contaminants that will develop baselines and define parameters for natural systems." The proposal submission deadline is May 7, 1999. [SN]
OSS Research Opportunities On-line -- NASA
http://spacescience.nasa.gov/research.htm
The National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA)'s Office of Space Science (OSS) regularly updates this listing of current funding opportunities for research in the space sciences. Current opportunities (deadlines in April 1999) cover High Energy Astrophysics, Planetary Astronomy, Near Earth Object Observations, and Research in Exobiology. [LXP]
[Back to Contents]The Twelfth Cumberland Conference on Graph Theory, Combinatorics, and Computing
http://erdos.math.louisville.edu/~cumberland/
Sponsored by the National Security Agency (NSA), the Twelfth Cumberland Conference on Graph Theory, Combinatorics, and Computing will be held May 20-22, 1999, at the University of Louisville, Kentucky. The goal of the conference is to provide an environment for discrete mathematicians and computer scientists in the greater Cumberland area to exchange ideas with internationally renowned experts. In addition, there will be presentations from four principal speakers. The abstract submission deadline is April 1, 1999. [SN]
1999 ESA Annual Meeting (Entomological Society)
http://www.entsoc.org/1999_ann_mtg/call_for_papers.htm
The 1999 Entomological Society of America's annual meeting will be held in Atlanta December 12-16. The theme for this year's meeting is "Back to the Future on Jointed Legs." The deadline for submission of abstracts is July 1, 1999. Registration and logistical details are provided on-site. [LXP]
X-99: Eighteenth International Conference on X-ray and Inner-Shell Processes
http://www.phy.anl.gov/X99/
The Eighteenth International Conference on X-ray and Inner-Shell Processes will be held August 23-27, 1999, in Chicago, Illinois. The program includes plenary talks, reports, and poster presentations. This conference will serve as a "forum for discussing fundamental issues in the field of x-ray and inner-shell processes and their application in various disciplines of science and technology." The abstract submission deadline is May 3, 1999. [SN]
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Global and Hemispheric Temperature Anomalies: Land and Marine Instrumental Records
http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/trends/temp/jonescru/jones.html
The Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) provides the Global and Hemisphere Temperature Anomalies: Land and Marine Instrumental Records data. Data tables and graphs from 1856 to 1998 are available. At the site, users will find a description of the methods to obtain the data, summaries describing the graphs, and references. [SN]
[Back to Contents]Three Bibliographic Databases from the Water Quality Information Center
Hyperaccumulators
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/Bibliographies/hypera.html
Drought and Water Allocation
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/Bibliographies/drought.htm
Aging Dams and Watersheds: Rehabilitation and Restoration
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/Bibliographies/damsafe.htm
The US Department of Agriculture's Water Quality Information Center at the National Agricultural Library has placed three new databases online. More than two dozen references (including abstracts) form the recent bibliography on Hyperaccumulators -- plants "that have demonstrated the ability to absorb toxins, metals," water, and/or soil. The Drought and Water Allocation bibliography includes "71 articles on water allocation as it relates to drought and water shortages dated 1992-1999. Competition for water resources, legal rights and remedies, and economic options are highlighted." The bibliography on Aging Dams and Watersheds includes 33 citations (1984-1998) "intended primarily to provide awareness of recent investigations and discussions" of related topics; several citations are hyperlinked to the full-text articles. [LXP]
[Back to Contents]Hubble Views Home Galaxy of Record-Breaking Explosion [.pdf]
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1999/09/
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Hubble Space Telescope has captured images of the largest cosmic explosion to date. The "initial explosion began as intense burst of gamma-rays which happened on January 23, 1999." These spectacular images can be viewed in JPEG, GIF, and/or .pdf formats. [SN]
[Back to Contents]Carbon Storage and Late Holocene Chronostratigraphy of a Mississippi River Deltaic Marsh, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana [.pdf]
http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/carbon/OFR_98-36/
The US Geological Survey has placed online this document on Carbon storage and Late Holocene chronostratigraphy of a Mississippi River marsh. Available in HTML or .pdf format, the report provides data (30 Tables and Figures) and interpretation of geologic and hydrogeological information, C-14 age determinations and analysis, biochronostratigraphy, and compositional analysis. [LXP]
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Discovery of a Bioluminescent Octopus
1. Harbor Branch Scientists Discover Bioluminescent Octopus
http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/hboi-hbs031599.html
2. Octopus suckers glow in the deep, dark sea
http://www.sciencenews.org/sn_arc99/3_13_99/fob7.htm
3. Light-emitting suckers in an octopus
http://www.nature.com/server-java/Propub/nature/398113A0.frameset?context=toc
4. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution: Bioluminescence Department
http://www.hboi.edu/marine/biolum.html
5. The Bioluminescence Web Page
http://lifesci.ucsb.edu/~biolum/index.shtml
6. About Octopi ....
http://www.marinelab.sarasota.fl.us/OCTOPI.HTM
Bioluminescence (light produced by a chemical reaction that originates from the organism) is common in deep sea creatures such as squids and cuttlefish, but it is very rare among octopods. Light organs have only been seen in breeding octopod females of two genera (3). The exciting discovery of bioluminescence in a deep-sea finned octopod, Stauroteuthis syrtensis, is the focus of this week's In the News. The blue-green light is emitted from the octopods' suckers, which have characteristics of both photophores and suckers. Lack of fossil records of bioluminescence has made it difficult to study the evolutionary history of light production. However, since these modified suckers have retained structural characteristics of their previous function (adhesive suckers), this offers a rare opportunity to view the evolutionary history of light production. Senior Scientist, Edith Widder, at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution (HBOI) explains it as an example of an evolutionary transition, in the March 11th issue of Nature (1999, 398:113-114). Widder believes that the "change from sucker to light organ may have occurred during colonization of the deep open-ocean by a creature that was originally a shallow-water bottom-dweller (1)." Furthermore, it is hypothesized that these modified suckers may now function to attract prey and to visually communicate. The six sites listed above provide information about this discovery along with background information on bioluminescense and octopods.
The first and second resources, from EurekaAlert (1) and ScienceNewsOnline (2), provide summaries of this discovery. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution (HBOI) scientists, Sonke Johnsen and Edith Eidder, along with Elisabeth Balser at Illinois Wesleyan University, discuss the morphology of the suckers as well as support the idea that the light organs are modified suckers, in the March 11th issue of Nature (1999, 398:113-114) (3). This URL is accessible until March 18, 1999. The fourth resource, from HBOI, is the Bioluminescence Department Website (4), which provides information about current bioluminescence research as well as a list of Edith Widder's publications relating to bioluminescence. The fifth resource, from the University of California at Santa Barbara, provides detailed information about bioluminescence (5). The sixth resource, from the Mote Marine Laboratory (MML), provides information about the octopods' physiology and behavior (6). [SN]
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