SCIENCE
LIFE SCIENCE
Author(s): Oof Oud, Geoff Rickards and Alex Verkade Exploring scientific theories for the evolution of biodiversity covering:
Biodiversity - the incredible and varied life forms that occupy our planet Earth – is the starting point of a programme that focuses mainly on evolution. The best known scientific explanation for biodiversity is Darwin’s theory of natural selection, and the fundamental aspects and implications of the theory are discussed step by step. A parallel story line tells how Darwin came to develop his ideas. More recently, the neutral theory of evolution has been developed, and its importance is explored in another story line. Numerous examples are used to show how genetic variability may lead to the formation of new species and novelties in life. The programme concludes with a section on the significance of, and threats to, biodiversity and the relationship between evolution and conservation. The addition of ‘DotWorld’ edu-games to the programme is new to the BBB series. Simple but challenging games and an accompanying set of assignments help students to understand important biological concepts such as the struggle for life, fitness, adaptation and selection. A diagnostic test with feedback helps students to grasp fundamental concepts. This interactive education tool was designed for secondary schools, colleges and undergraduate university teaching. The user-friendly nature of the programme makes it ideal for group teaching or self-study. It can be used as a stand-alone resource or to complement text books.
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Author(s): O. Oud, G. Rickards Processes related to DNA and proteins are elegant and often complicated. The challenge of telling the story of DNA and proteins is to keep it simple but at the same time scientifically accurate. With this in mind, the information in this CD-ROM is presented in a continuous, basic level story-line, while the advanced level details are optional. The program is intended for use in both secondary schools (age 16 and above) and first or second year university. The advanced level information helps to understand complex processes and stimulates curiosity in secondary school students. For undergraduates, the basic level helps to eliminate deficiencies in understanding and to strengthen essential knowledge. A simple navigation system allows switching between the levels and topics without the risk of "losing track". Numerous illustrations and animations support the textual information. An index containing over 200 entries provides direct access to the many topics covered in the sections. A diagnostic test with feedback helps students to grasp fundamental concepts. The user-friendly nature of the program makes it ideal for group teaching or self-study. It can be used as a stand-alone resource or to complement text books.
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Author(s): O. Oud, G. Rickards This educational CD-ROM is unique in its range and perspective. It starts at an elementary level, and then step-by-step explains in more detail the key events of mitosis and meiosis. It demystifies the seemingly magical processes involved. It was produced especially for secondary school students, but also offers important resource material for undergraduate university courses. The facts and the whys and the hows of mitosis and meiosis are presented, in two separate programs. A broader perspective is also given, including how mitosis is related to the cell cycle, development and cell differentiation; and the importance of meiosis to life cycles and genetics. The material used is new, high quality, exciting and superbly presented. Students and teachers alike get to love these twin, lookalike programs. Their use of the principles of teaching, of up-to-date scientific knowledge, and a range of multimedia tools, combine to make them quite unique.
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Author(s): O. Oud, G. Rickards Mutations - changes to the gene make-up of an organism - are hugely important. Most of them are deleterious, in that they cause abnormalities and diseases. But sometimes they turn out to have neutral or even beneficial effects. In this way, mutations are ultimately responsible for all the genetic variation that we see in populations of humans and other species. And it is this genetic variation that allows evolutionary changes to take place. On top of all this, mutations enable us to study the genes themselves, to locate them, to study their inheritance, to isolate them, to correct them, to use them. Mutations, therefore, underpin virtually all aspects of genetics! This is why we have put together this comprehensive program, in which we introduce the types, origins and consequences of both gene (DNA) and chromosome mutations; and then illustrate their short term effects (such as in cancer, inborn errors and disease) and their long term (evolutionary) importance. We included a large number of photographs, illustrations and animations, from humans, animals and plants.
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Author(s): Lynn Margulis, Karlene V. Schwartz This electronic reference guide provides an expert overview of our planet's biodiversity: the kingdoms of bacteria, protoctista, fungi, plants and animals. Browse or search through hyperlinked descriptions of all of the 96 phyla living today. Literature references, example genera and habitat information are also available for each phylum. The text is illustrated by a wealth of multimedia information, with more than 500 photographs and drawings and 37 video clips in all. The CD-ROM also offers a full introduction; a glossary with explanations of nearly 1300 scientific terms; a quiz to test your knowledge; and a "field trips" section with information about natural history museums and parks worldwide, plus links to relevant Web sites.
Author(s): Dr. Lawrence C.W. Jensen Three dimensional animations, supported by authoritative narrations, explore the leaf surface and explain the functioning of the guard cells. The viewer is then taken inside the leaf to see the photosynthetic and conducting cells. Witness the dynamic events of guard cell movements, gas exchange and the transport of water and sugars. Animations also illustrate the forms of leaves and how they are modified for dry and aquatic habitats. Running times for Leaves are:
Author(s): Dr. Lawrence C.W. Jensen A combination of videos of living plants and three dimensional animations. Combining images of living plant stages with computer simulations allows you to easily bridge the gap between the familiar plant and the micro-environment contained within it. Place yourself on the surface of a fern leaf or on a prothallus! Three dimensional animations take you in and around reproductive structures such as the sorus, sporangium, antheridium and archegonium. You see dynamic events such as spore formation, spore release, prothallus formation, sperm release, fertilisation and embryo growth. There are three levels of increasing complexity:
Part 1: Simple - no terminology or breaks, 8m:46s; Part 2: Intermediate - simple terminology and divided into sections with summaries, 16m:4s; Part 3: Advanced - contains scientific terminology, divided into sections, 13m:21s.
Author(s): Dr. Lawrence C.W. Jensen A combination of videos of living plants and three dimensional animations. Combining images of living plant stages with computer simulations allows you to easily bridge the gap between the familiar plant and the micro-environment contained within it. Place yourself inside the stamen and carpel! Three dimensional animations take you in inside both structures to see sporangia and gametophytes. Dynamic events such as pollination, gametophyte formation, fertilisation, embryo formation and fruit formation are seen as spectacular computer simulations. There are three levels of increasing complexity:
Part 1. Simple - no terminology or breaks, 17m:11s; Part 2. Intermediate - simple terminology and divided into sections with summaries, 21m:20s; Part 3. Advanced - contains scientific terminology, divided into sections, 18m:50s.
Author(s): Dr. Lawrence C.W. Jensen A combination of videos of living plants and three dimensional animations. Combining images of living plant stages with computer simulations allows you to easily bridge the gap between the familiar plant and the micro-environment contained within it. Place yourself inside a moss plant! Computer animations take you in inside a clump of moss plants to illustrate external structure. You are then transported inside the tips of male and female stems where gametangia (sex organs) sperm release, fertilisation and embryo development are illustrated. There are three levels of increasing complexity:
Author(s): Dr. Lawrence C.W. Jensen A combination of videos of living plants and three dimensional animations. Combining images of living plant stages with computer simulations allows you to easily bridge the gap between the familiar plant and the micro-environment contained within it. Place yourself inside the pollen cone and seed cone! Three dimensional animations take you in inside the pollen cone and the seed cone to see reproductive structures such as sporangia, gametophytes and the archegonia. Witness dynamic events such as pollination, gametophyte formation, fertilisation, embryo formation and seed germination. There are three levels of increasing complexity:
Author(s): A. Schuiteman, E.F. de Vogel Windows: Windows 32-bit including Windows 98/Me/XP, A Pentium processor-based PC or compatible computer CPU, 128 or more MB RAM, 1024x768 with 16-bit color or greater recommended. Mac: Mac OS 8.6-9.x or Mac OS X 10.1 or higher, PowerPC CPU32 MB free RAM (Classic) MB RAM, 1024x768 with 16-bit color or greater recommended. ISBN: 90-75000-99-5 This CD-ROM treats 19 genera (Kuhlhasseltia to Ophioglossella) with nearly 400 species. Among the major genera are Liparis, Malaxis, Mediocalcar, Oberonia, and Octarrhena. For every species a full description is given, with data on distribution (including maps in full colour), synonymy, cultivation, ecology, typification, classification, references, etc. An impressive collection of colour photographs and drawings, both published and unpublished, complements the texts. Several leading botanical institutes, such as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, the Herbarium Bogoriense, Bogor, and the National Capital Botanic Garden, Port Moresby, as well as many well-known photographers have contributed to make this highly praised CD-ROM series a must for all who are interested in the orchids of New Guinea and Southeast Asia. Genera List: Liparis spp
Edited by: T.K. Attwood EMBER comprises Web- and CD-ROM based introductory bioinformatics tutorials. It was developed in line with most curricula in European universities, and is a unique resource for students and teachers alike. It was funded by the European Union, and developed by a consortium led by the University of Manchester. Other consortium members included the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, the University of Western Cape, the European Bioinformatics Institute, the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia, the Free University of Brussels, the University of Nijmegen, Canada Institute for Marine Biosciences, the Turkish Research Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology and ETI Bioinformatics. Purpose and Contents : EMBER introduces a range of bioinformatics services, databases and software available on the Web and illustrates their advantages and disadvantages. The practical consists of three tutorials, each comprising several Chapters, supported by instructions, an introduction to the principles behind the techniques used, a self-assessment exercise, and references. Final assessment and Appendix sections. The former contains a Final quiz, to help assess what has been learned; the latter contains a Glossary of bioinformatics-related terms and a Contributors page.
Author(s): Alan T. Critchley, Masao Ohno and Danilo B Largo Seaweed represents a major component of marine ecosystems. It is used as food, fertiliser and as a resource for chemical constituents. This interactive multimedia DVD-ROM was compiled over a three year period and incorporates the expertise of almost 150 authorities from all over the world. The extensive information is organised in a number of categories covering cultivation, farming, utilisation, worldwide resources, socio-economics, recent developments in ecology, and applied phycology. The subjects are covered in detail and include vivid examples ranging from food and cosmetics to medicine, with examples from major production centers worldwide, including practical aspects of modern farming. The information is enriched by numerous high quality pictures and exclusive video footage. Extensive web reference links are provided to help locate additional information.
Author(s): C.H. Ernst, R.G.M. Altenburg and R.W. Barbour In cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution Press, Prof. Carl H. Ernst and ETI editor Ruud G.M. Altenburg have updated and extended Ernst and Barbour's standard work "Turtles of the World" (1989). This DVD-ROM edition features multiple color photographs of essentially every recognized species of turtle and tortoise in the world. About 40 new species were added and the taxonomy has been completely revised up to December, 1997. Different modules within the program allow for hyper-linked browsing through higher taxa, species, and lower taxa, with sections on recognition, distribution, geographic variation, habitat, natural history, and conservation status. The interactive geographic information system MapIt™ plots distributions of selected species on a set of quadrant maps, allowing for different scaled maps, the ability to compare distributions of pairs of species, map species density per quadrant, and check listings of species included per quadrant. An interactive key allows you to quickly identify turtles. All text is hyperlinked to an illustrated glossary covering 1000+ scientific and etymological terms. A large number of turtle researchers from all over the world worked with ETI Bioinformatics to ensure that the texts and distributions are as accurate as possible. These specialists also made it possible for over 1400 images to be incorporated, including colour pictures of virtually every (sub)species and some species which have not yet been described. Compared to the CD-ROM version 1.2.1, this version has the same content, but has updated software to make the programme compatible with the latest Mac and Windows operating systems. "This new form of data presentation, a new publication medium for turtles, is well produced and definitely worth obtaining." -- Chelonian Conservation and Biology
Author(s): ETI staff Compiled by European ornithologists, Birds of Europe is a comprehensive source of information on 447 bird species that breed within Europe or are migrants or winter visitors. This new version has updated software with a new interface and features many new and stunning photographs. It contains detailed descriptions of the main field characters, full colour illustrations, sound recordings of songs and calls for all species, drawings of eggs, video clips, illustrations of habitats, and interactive maps depicting the summer, year-round, and winter distribution. A unique pictorial key for identification and a quiz testing the users knowledge are also included. The introduction provides general and specific information on birds while the illustrated hyperlinked glossary provides definitions for numerous terms and information on bird groups. In addition to the scientific names and their English equivalents, common names are also given in French, Spanish, German and Dutch.
Author(s): H. Visser & H.H. Veldhuijzen van Zanten The first Windows version of this CD-ROM was so popular that it sold out. The software has now been upgraded to the latest version of Linnaeus, making the CD a hybrid, compatible with Windows XP and Macintosh OS X. The CD-ROM "European Limnofauna - A Pictorial Key to the Families" forms an up-to-date introduction to the families of macroscopic freshwater invertebrates, offering descriptions and an easy-to-use identification tool. This overview includes life-forms such as sponges, hydras and jellyfish, flatworms, roundworms, segmented worms and leeches, rotifers, molluscs and bivalves, water spiders and mites, crustaceans and the aquatic stages of insects. Most of these groups are keyed to the family level. This title in the "Interactive Identification System for the European Limnofauna" series offers a novel approach to the identification of the limnofauna of northwestern Europe. The Picture Key is an interactive identification tool linked to a separate database containing the descriptions to 314 families and other taxa. The Picture Key makes use of very recognisable characters, with a range of drawings, pictures and movies to further illustrate choices. The key addresses the needs of the specialist and non-specialist alike, offering the specialist user the chance to bypass general sections of the key through shortcuts to specific groups. Apart from taxonomic descriptions, this database also offers notes on ecology and distribution and includes common names in up to eight European languages. The program is illustrated with some 2000 drawings and colour pictures and 24 movies. All text in the program is "hyperlinked" to a glossary with nearly 900 scientific terms. The literature section holds nearly 500 references to literature used for the compilation of this program. This indispensable CD-ROM should be in the library of students and professionals involved with studying or monitoring water quality, its use and distribution.
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Author(s): T.A. Jefferson, S. Leatherwood and M.A. Webber Marine mammals are among the most interesting and threatened species on Earth. This CD-ROM gives a complete overview of all sea mammals of the world with detailed full color drawings, spectacular underwater photography, and sounds of species. Also included are an interactive identification key and distribution maps. Marine Mammals of the World is a CD-ROM for teachers, whale and dolphin watchers, environmentalists, and ocean lovers everywhere. All text is hyperlinked: an illustrated glossary defines more than 250 scientific terms. Principle literature references for this group are included in this program.
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ANATOMY |
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BIOLOGY |
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