Chapter 21 Useful Websites
- Cloning: A Special Report from the New Scientist
- The New Scientist put together a special report on cloning after the report of the first mammal ever created from the non-reproductive tissue of an adult animal was published in Nature. This report has links to the original paper in Nature, to further commentary in Nature and to the website of the lab that made the breakthrough.
- Developmental Biology-24 Hour Chick
- These serial sections allow for the study of the microscopic anatomy of the embryo, in particular, the internal anatomy. Many features that are not evident in the study of the whole embryo can be examined by viewing a sequence of sections of the embryo. The embryo from which the accompanying photomicrographs were taken consisted of 240 sections. This material is good for advanced students and for student projects. The abundance of graphics aid in the presentation.
- The Virtual Embryo
- This richly illustrated site provides detailed descriptions of development in a number of model organisms including C. elegans, Xenopus, and Danio rerio.
- The Embryonic Zoo
- An impressive page of movies and links to other embryological resources.
- Virtual World of Development
- Designed as a supplement to lectures in developmental biology, this tutorial introduces students to dynamic aspects of embryonic development through diagrams, micrographs, and movies. It covers such topics as fertilization, gastrulation, and the development of a number of important animals, including frogs, fish, flies, and folks. The site is well laid out and nicely done, but plant development is not discussed.
- Dynamic Development-An Overview of Amphibian Development
- This Amphibian Embryology Tutorial is a Virtual Embryo Resource and uses text, images, and movies to examine developmental processes. Oogenesis, fertilization, cleavage, gastrulation (in great detail), and neurulation are explored using the tools of the Internet. This tutorial is dynamic and successfully shows how genetics regulates development, how a multicellular organism organizes from individual cells, and how cell diversity is generated during development. This Online activity will also help you understand the spatial relationships of cells during development that allows for extension of traditional textbook material.
- Morphing Embryos
- Originally shown on the "Nova" TV series, PBS has put online these amazing time-lapse sequences of developing embryos from several animal species. Choice of VivoActive, QuickTime or AVI formats.
- Stages of Embryonic Development of the Zebrafish
- Are you interested in viewing clear images of a developing vertebrate? The stages for development of the zebrafish (Danio (Brachydanio) reri) embryo are described in five periods of embryogenesis: the zygote, cleavage, blastula, gastrula, segmentation, pharyngula, and hatching periods and occur over a short period of time. This site gives full descriptions and fully utilizes the optical transparency of the live embryo. It is also possible to view the deep structures of the embryo. You will use photomicrographs to analyze most stages, and text descriptions will assist in your analysis. You will have a guided tour of zebrafish development when you visit this site.
- The Fish Net
- The zebra fish, Danio rerio, is one of the model organisms used by developmental biologists. This site provides access to all zebra fish databases.
- The Society for Developmental Biology
- The home page of the Society for Developmental Biology provides information on many aspects of developmental biology. The "Interactive Fly" and the "Developmental Biology Cinema" are well worth a visit. The education page is a great place to begin a search for student activities on the Web. The site has links to developmental biology tutorials, teaching lab exercises, an interactive feature called "Ask a Developmental Biology Question," sample exam questions, and even hints to jazz up lectures. The Society for Developmental Biology intends this site to be of use to teachers and students from K-college. This is really the first place to shop for student-relevant information on developmental biology.
- USDA Nematology Lab Homepage
- Nematodes are important agriculturally both as plant parasites and as beneficial organisms in insect control. Find out more at the U. S. Department of Agriculture's nematode page.
- Whole Frog Project
- This site contains links to several active research labs in developmental biology. Sites are categorized by focus on such topics as: Gametogenesis and Fertilization; Early Development; Organogenesis and Morphogenesis; Pattern Formation; Gene Regulation and Genetics; Cell Lineage and Fate Maps; and Evolution and Development. Students accessing this information will be able to see what some of the major labs in developmental biology are studying. Instructors will find it a useful source of images for lectures and labs.
- Regulation of Embryonic Development
- Read about Nobel laureates Edward B. Lewis, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, and Eric Wieschaus and their work on fruit fly development.
- Apoptosis
- J. Kimball provides a brief, easy-to-understand explanation of programmed cell death.
- Developmental Mechanism Problem Set
- Another one of those nice autotutorial programs from the University of Arizona.
- The Visible Embryo
- Human development from conception to birth.
