Science Answers
Browse these staff-suggested resources about various fields of science and keep up with the latest science-related trends.
Birds of the World
Britannica Escolar
Britannica Library
JSTOR
Fall Foraging
Author Visit June Smalls
Geology Walk: Fall Line on the Rappahannock
Lunch & Learn: Evolution of Dogs
Science Books
Astronomy Resources
American Astronomical Society
The American Astronomical Society (AAS) is the professional organization of astronomers in North America. The organization seeks to advance and share humanity's scientific understanding of the Universe.
Exoplanet Archive
An online astronomical exoplanet catalog and data service that collects and serves public data that support the search for and characterization of extra-solar planets (exoplanets) and their host stars.
Exoplanet Data Explorer
Lists extrasolar planets up to 24 Jupiter masses.
Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia
World's most comprehensive interactive database of extrasolar planets updated daily since 1995.
Galaxy Zoo
An online astronomy project which invites members of the public to assist in the morphological classification of large numbers of galaxies.
A space and astronomy news website. Its stories are often syndicated to other media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, Yahoo!, and USA Today.
SPACETV.net
A non-commercial video-based news site and news aggregator dedicated to space and astronomy.
Telescopius
Telescopius is a web application with multiple tools, from a 15,000+ deep sky objects database and search, to a telescope simulator, astrophotography mosaic planner, and a social network for astrophotographers.
Universe Today
A non-commercial space and astronomy news site.
Biology Resources
A large collection of free content, including images, stories, games, and activities, for students of all ages.
ActionBioscience
Provides articles by scientists, science educators, and science students on issues related to seven bioscience challenges: environment, biodiversity, genomics, biotechnology, evolution, new frontiers in science, and bioscience education.
Animal Diversity Web
Collects the natural history, classification, species characteristics, conservation biology, and distribution information of thousands of species of animals.
Animal Genome Size Database
Publishes genome size estimates for vertebrate and invertebrate animals.
Animal Science Image Gallery
Contains images, animations, and video for classroom and outreach learning.
Catalogue of Life
A collaboration bringing together all the organisms in the world, with the effort and contributions of taxonomists and informaticians from around the world.
Earth Human STR Allele Frequencies Database
The natural step in managing populational data reported for Short Tandem Repeat (STR) loci from all over the world.
Encyclopedia of Life (EOL)
A free, online collaborative encyclopedia intended to document all of the 1.8 million species of living organisms known to science.
FishBase
Comprehensive database of information about fish.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
Provides an automated reference database of scientific and common names for species.
MycoBank
The complete list of fungi, yeasts and lichens ever described.Â
Pan-American Journal of Aquatic Sciences
An exclusively electronic, free-of-charge peer-reviewed scientific journal.
Plant DNA C-values Database
A comprehensive catalogue of C-value (nuclear DNA content, or in diploids, genome size) data for land plants and algae.
Plants for a Future (PFAF)
For those interested in edible and useful plants of temperate regions.
Proteopedia
Annotations of protein structures and other biomolecules.
TOPSAN
Annotations of protein structures.
WikispeciesÂ
A comprehensive free content catalog of all species.
ZooBorns
Announces animal births at AZA, EAZA, CAZA and WAZA accredited zoos and aquariums.
Chemistry Resources
American Chemistry Society
Chemistry-related features including the molecule of the week, links to meetings, chemistry headlines, image of the week.
Basic Organic Nomenclature
Provides information on chemical nomenclature including functional groups, 3D structure and practice questions to test your knowledge.
Chemistry: Challenges and Solutions
A video instructional series for college and high school classrooms. It includes 13 half-hour video programs, online text, interactive lessons, an historical timeline and periodic table.
ChemTube 3D
ChemTube3D contains interactive 3D animations and structures, with supporting information for some of the most important topics covered during an undergraduate chemistry degree.
Critter Chemistry
Nature is full of chemistry, too. "Critter Chemistry" demonstrates the active role chemistry takes in the animal kingdom.
NIST Chemistry WebBook
Provides access to data compiled and distributed by NIST under the Standard Reference Data Program.
NOVA: Science Now
Interesting current science topics such as stem cells, pandemic flu, and the sense of taste.
Organic Chemistry Resources Worldwide
An intuitive reference guide for organic chemists. The site is provides list of organic chemistry sites, a monthly newsletter, research and directories.
Periodical Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory
PLOS One: Chemistry
PLOS publishes a suite of influential journals from all areas of science and medicine that contain rigorously reported, peer-reviewed Open Access research articles. The journals vary in their criteria for publication.
PubChem Classification Browser
Browse chemical data currently available for PubChem Compound records using a classification of interest or search for annotated records with the desired classification/term.
Web Elements
Best online authoritative resource for information on the elements, their properties and compounds.
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Geology Resources
The American Geological Institute
Provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resilience to natural hazards, and the health of the environment.
American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database
An interface to a crystal structure database that includes every structure published in the American Mineralogist, The Canadian Mineralogist, European Journal of Mineralogy and Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, as well as selected datasets from other journals.
Crystallography Open Database
Free crystallography database searchable by crystal parameters and references and returns the CIFs.
The Mineralogy Database
Each mineral has a page linked to tables devoted to crystallography, crystal structures, X-Ray powder diffraction, chemical composition, physical and optical properties, Dana's New classification, Strunz classification, mineral specimen images, and alphabetical listings of mineral species. There also are extensive links to other external sources of mineral data and information.
National Minerals Information Center
Conducts analyses of and develops information on minerals-related issues, including minerals conservation, sustainability, availability, materials flow, and the economic health of the U.S. minerals industry.
Paleobiology Database
Provides global, collection-based occurrence and taxonomic data for marine and terrestrial animals and plants of any geological age, as well as web-based software for statistical analysis of the data.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
As an unbiased, multi-disciplinary science organization that focuses on biology, geography, geology, geospatial information, and water, we are dedicated to the timely, relevant, and impartial study of the landscape, our natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten us.
Meteorology & Aviation Weather Resources
Climate Data Online: Text & Map Search
Contains historical international climatic data which can be searched by a specific data set, weather station ID, state, country, etc.
Climate Monitoring (NOAA National Climatic Data Center)
A plethora of resources including "State of the Climate" which gives national and global overviews and analyses by month and year, and "Climate at Glance" which shows comparisons of local, state, regional, national, and global data in historical perspective to determine trends.
Local Climatological Data Publication
View current and historical U.S. monthly summaries of daily temperature extremes, precipitation, and winds as report from major airport weather stations.
Monthly Climatic Data for the World
Monthly mean temperature, pressure, precipitation, etc. from approximately 2000 stations (6 month lag time).
National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) OneStop
Locate all NOAA data with a metadata record. It is designed to explore data from across scientific disciplines, formats, time periods, and locations.
Storm Events Database from the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA)
Includes storm data as far back as 1950. Information included for locations, fatalities, injuries, damage, and narratives of storms.
U.S. Regional Climate Centers
Provides information to climate services to six regions encompassing the United States.
World Climate
Select meteorological data from some stations in US and World.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) eLibrary
WMO e-Library provides free access to a vast collection of publications on meteorology, climatology, hydrology, and related fields.
World Weather and Climate Extremes Archive
A living source of information and provides historical and geographical perspectives of observed limits of extreme weather and climate events.
Oceanography
Florida Institute of Oceanography
A designated oceanographic organization for facilitating education and research in the marine and coastal environments.
GEOTRACES
Identifies the processes and quantify fluxes that control the distributions of key trace elements and isotopes in the ocean, and to establish the sensitivity of these distributions to changing environmental conditions.
Global Oceans
A US-based nonprofit 501c3 corporation designed to adaptively integrate private-sector resources to expand ocean science research capacity on a global scale.
The MarineBio Conservation Society
A nonprofit volunteer marine conservation and science education group working online together to educate the world about ocean life, marine biology, marine conservation, and a sea ethic.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)
The mission of MBARI is to achieve and maintain a position as a world center for advanced research and education in ocean science and technology, and to do so through the development of better instruments, systems, and methods for scientific research in the deep waters of the ocean.Â
National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) Institutional Repository
A digital library and official archive for NOAA’s Sea Grant documents. It is the only comprehensive and deeply searchable collection of Sea Grant-funded documents from the over 30 programs and projects across the United States and Territories. This collection includes a wide variety of subjects including oceanography, marine education, aquaculture, fisheries, aquatic nuisance species, coastal hazards, seafood safety, limnology, coastal zone management, marine recreation, and law.
National Ocean Service (NOAA)
The National Ocean Service provides data, tools, and services that support coastal economies and their contribution to the national economy.Â
Northeast Ocean Data Portal
The International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) programme of IOC UNESCO, through its distributed network of National Oceanographic Data Centres (NODCs), is establishing the Ocean Data Portal (ODP) to facilitate seamless access to marine data/services and to promote the exchange and dissemination of marine data and services.
The Oceanography Society (TOS)
Promotes the broad understanding of oceanography, facilitates consensus building across all the disciplines of the field, and informs the public about ocean research, innovative technology, and educational opportunities throughout the spectrum of oceanographic inquiry.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Founded in 1903, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego is one of the most important centers for global earth science research and education in the world. With cutting-edge research programs under way on every continent and in every ocean, Scripps scientists work to understand and protect the planet by investigating our oceans, Earth, and atmosphere to find solutions to our greatest environmental challenges.
Sea Grant News (NOAA)
For over 50 years, the National Sea Grant College Program has supported coastal and Great Lakes communities through research, extension and education. Sea Grant's mission is to enhance the practical use and conservation of coastal, marine and Great Lakes resources in order to create a sustainable economy and environment.
University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS)
UNOLS provides a primary forum through which the ocean research and education community, research facility operators and the supporting Federal agencies work cooperatively to improve access, scheduling, operation, and capabilities of current and future academic oceanographic facilities.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is dedicated to advancing knowledge of the ocean and its connection with the Earth system through a sustained commitment to excellence in science, engineering, and education, and to the application of this knowledge to problems facing society.
Physics
Albert Einstein Archives
Online access to Albert Einstein’s scientific and non-scientific manuscripts held by the Albert Einstein Archives at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
American Physical Society (APS)
Non-profit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy and international activities.
Flash Animations for Physics
Animations were written by David M. Harrison, Dept. of Physics, Univ. of Toronto to help people visualize the topic of Physics.
The Laws List
List of various laws, rules, principles, and other related topics in physics and astronomy.
MERLOT II: Physics
A browsable or searchable collection of over 40,000 materials in 19 different material type categories.
Minorities in Physics
APS is works to increase recruitment and retention of groups such as African American, women, and the disabled.
The National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC)
Collects, evaluates, and disseminates nuclear physics data for basic nuclear research and applied nuclear technologies.
NIST Reference on Constants, Units, and Uncertainty
CODATA internationally recommended values of the fundamental physical constants.
PhET Interactive Simulations
PhET provides fun, interactive, research-based simulations of physical phenomena for free.
Physics To Go
A collection of websites where you can learn physics on your own, through games, webcasts, and online articles, exhibits, and activities.
Physicals World
Institute of Physics site for news and information for the global physics community.
The Review of Particle Physics
Particle listings, summaries, and reviews. From the Particle Data Group.