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207 Follow the Threads on the Web The Web sites in the lists that follow contain information on natural history , including material that describes and expands upon many of the topics covered in this volume. Any of these well-produced resources will take as long to appreciate as a good book takes to read. Many present animations , videos, and even live videocams, as well as further links. These sites contain a range of different approaches to the presentation of the observations , data, and theories of natural science. The Physical Environment 1. Atmospheric optics. Visions from the clear sky, by Les Cowley. www.atoptics. co.uk. An inclusive treatment of phenomena of the sky, illustrated with fine examples of each, and explained in detail. 2. Basic meteorology, from the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. www2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/ guides/home.rxml. Introduction to the weather. See also the introduction to severe weather: severewx.atmos.uiuc.edu/index.html. 3. Basic volcanology, assembled by a team of Swiss and Italian scientists and educators. www.swisseduc.ch/stromboli/index-en.html. The site offers a comprehensive image collection, geologic background, and virtual tours. 4. Tectonics. Presented by the educational multimedia visualization center of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. emvc.geol.ucsb.edu/index.htm. Descriptions of the dynamic surface of the Earth, with a subemphasis in western North America, e.g., around Santa Barbara. 5. Geologic time. From the Smithsonian and the National Museum of Natural History. paleobiology.si.edu/geotime/main/index.html. An introduction to the paleobiologic eras of the Earth. 6. Cloud physics. The Web site of Kenneth Libbrecht, chair of the Physics Department at Caltech. snowcrystals.com. On the science and the beauty of snowflakes. 208 The Biosphere 7. Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Center for the Future of the Oceans. www.montereybayaquarium.org. A resource of wildlife and conservation information about the sea and shore. 8. Wayne’s Word. An online textbook of natural history, by W. P. Armstrong, used with his courses in the Life Sciences Department at Palomar College. waynesword.palomar.edu/indxwayn.htm. A collection of natural histories with an emphasis on plants of the American Southwest. 9. e-Nature. Originally managed by the National Wildlife Federation. www. enature.com/home/. Online field guide to common wildlife species. 10. Microbiological garden. From the Institute of Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment at the University of Oldenburg, Germany. www. icbm.de/pmbio/mikrobiologischer-garten/eng/index.php3. An introduction to a most complex aspect of the natural world—the world that opens up through the microscope. 11. Trilobites. A Web site created by Sam Gon III. www.trilobites.info/. Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about this extinct order. The Rest of the Universe 12. Atlas of the Universe. Created by Richard Powell. www.atlasoftheuniverse. com/index.html. An expandable map of Earth’s celestial environment, with a hyperlinked glossary. 13. NASA. www.nasa.gov/home/index.html. A searchable site featuring current news of space exploration, an emphasis on education, and other features, including a planetarium-style tour of tonight’s sky. See also imagine.gsfc. nasa.gov/ and space.jpl.nasa.gov/. Physics and Math 14. Exploratorium, the museum of science, art, and human perception, San Francisco. www.exploratorium.edu/explore/index.html. An interactive environment dedicated to the understanding of physical phenomena, with an emphasis on the way things are perceived. 15. Fibonacci numbers and the golden section. By Dr. Ron Knott, hosted by the Mathematics Department of the University of Surrey, U.K. www.mcs.surrey. ac.uk/Personal/R.Knott/Fibonacci/fib.html. A description of the calculable basis of the nautilus shell spiral, the arrangements in seed heads, leaves on stems, and more. ...

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